With the Academy’s nominations announcement drawing closer by the day, it’s time to lay it all on the line with my final Oscar nomination predictions. The battle for Best Production Design is shaping up to be an epic contest between Babylon and Elvis. They’ve both nabbed nominations from all four major precursor awards; the Art Directors Guild, BAFTA, Critics’ Choice Awards, and the Set Decorators Society of America), and it’s still anyone’s guess who will triumph on Oscar night. But they’re both locks for a nomination.
The original Avatar took home this Oscar in 2009, so it’s safe to presume Avatar: The Way of Water will land a nomination too. It’s scored nods from three of the four major groups (the BAFTA snub is odd, given the predecessor WON their award) and we always knew it was going to sweep with the nominations for the technical categories.
The Fabelmans was also snubbed by BAFTA, but they almost ignored the film entirely, so it’s hardly surprising. But its nominations from ADG, CCA, and SDSA should count for something. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever wasn’t even longlisted by BAFTA, so its lack of a nomination across the pond was sealed weeks ago. That didn’t hurt its predecessor from eventually winning the Oscar, and I don’t think it matters here either with the sequel’s chances for a nod.
In saying that, All Quiet on the Western Front has certainly come good in the final stages of awards season. It’s still anyone’s guess if the Academy will be as taken by it as BAFTA certainly was. But its sprawling production design is stunningly impressive, so don’t be surprised to see it steal a spot from one of these American contenders.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN PREDICTIONS:
1. Babylon (Paramount Pictures) – ADG, BAFTA, CCA, SDSA
Florencia Martin (production designer), Anthony Carlino (set decorator)
2. Elvis (Warner Bros.) – ADG, BAFTA, CCA, SDSA
Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy (production designers), Shaun Barry, Beverly Dunn, Daniel Reader (set decorators)
3. Avatar: The Way of Water (20th Century Studios) – ADG, CCA, SDSA
Dylan Col, Ben Procter (production designer), Vanessa Cole (set decorator)
4. The Fabelmans (Universal Pictures) – ADG, CCA, SDSA
Rick Carter (production designer), Karen O’Hara (set decorator)
5. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Walt Disney Studios) – ADG, CCA, SDSA
Hannah Beachler (production designer), Lisa K. Sessions (set decorator)
Alternate: All Quiet on the Western Front (Netflix) – ADG, BAFTA
