‘The Favourite’ (Photo credit: 20th Century Fox)
Aussie production designer Fiona Crombie’s chances of winning her first Academy Award have received a boost after her work on Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite was recognised by the Art Directors Guild.
The Favourite won the prize for best period film at the guild’s Excellence in Production Design Awards on Saturday at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.
Black Panther was named best fantasy film while Crazy Rich Asians took the prize for contemporary film and Isle of Dogs best animated film. The key TV awards went to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and The Handmaid’s Tale.
In the past five years the winner of the guild’s period film category went on to win the Oscar in production design three times: For The Great Gatsby (2014), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2015) and The Shape of Water (2018), which also won best picture.
The production design Oscar went to the winner of the fantasy category, Mad Max: Fury Road, in 2016. In 2017 La La Land picked up the ADG award in the category for a contemporary film on the way to winning the Oscar for production design.
Crombie was nominated for the best production design Oscar, shared with her colleague, set decorator Alice Felton, while the Queen Anne pic’s co-writers Tony McNamara and co-writer Deborah Davis are in contention for best original screenplay.
She and Felton have been nominated for the production design prize at the BAFTA Awards, which will be announced next Sunday at London’s Royal Albert Hall, hosted by Joanna Lumley.
The film industry is in the London-based Fiona’s DNA: her father Donald was a distinguished director (Caddie, The Irishman, The Killing of Angel Street) and her mother Judith is a former CEO of the SAFC. Her brother Peter is a film editor whose credits include Bad Mothers, Doctor Doctor and Janet King.
The 91st Academy Awards will be presented on Sunday February 24 US time at the Dolby Theatre in LA.
Art Directors Gguild WINNERS – FEATURE FILM
Period Film
The Favourite (Fiona Crombie)
Fantasy Film
Black Panther (Hannah Beachler)
Contemporary Film
Crazy Rich Asians (Nelson Coates)
Animated Film
Isle of Dogs (Adam Stockhausen, Paul Harrod)
TELEVISION
One-Hour Period or Fantasy Single-Camera Series
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – Simone, We’re Going to the Catskills! (Bill Groom)
One-Hour Contemporary Single-Camera Series
The Handmaid’s Tale – June, Unwomen (Mark White, Elisabeth Williams)
Television Movie or Miniseries
The Alienist – The Boy on the Bridge (Mara LePere-Schloop)
Half-Hour Single-Camera Series
Glow – Viking Funeral, Perfects are People, Too,“Rosalie” (Todd Fjelsted)
Multi-Camera Series
Sesame Street – Book Worming, The Count’s Counting Error, Street Food (David Gallo)
Short Format: Web Series, Music Video or Commercial (TIE)
Apple – Welcome Home (Christopher Glass)
Variety, Reality or Event Special
The Oscars: 90th Annual Academy Awards (Derek McLane)