“Conclave, “Nosferatu,” and “Wicked” won honors at the 28th Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800) Excellence in Production Design Awards, Saturday at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.
The ADG divides live-action features into three categories. Production designer Craig Lathrop’s work on early 1800s-set horror adaptation “Nosferatu” won the award in the period film category. Production designer Nathan Crowley’s creation of the “Wicked” land of Oz won the award for a fantasy film, and production designer Suzie Davies’ Vatican sets delivered “Conclave” the trophy for a contemporary film.
“Conclave,” “Nosteratu” and “Wicked,” along with ADG nominees “The Brutalist” and “Dune: Part Two” are nominated for the Oscar in production design. A year ago, “Poor Things” won the ADG Award for a fantasy film en route to an Oscar win in the category.
At the ADG Awards, “The Wild Robot” continued its winning streak, collecting the ADG Award in feature animation. This past week it won the PGA Award in animation, nine Annie Awards including best feature, and four Visual Effects Society trophies including outstanding VFX in an animated feature.
Television category winners included “Shogun,” “The Penguin,” “Fallout” and “Squid Game.”
During the evening, many presenters and honorees shared heartfelt messages in the wake of the L.A. fires. Accepting the Cinematic Imagery Award, filmmaker Jason Reitman, whose body of work includes “Juno,” “Up in the Air” and “Saturday Night,” received applause as spoke of his love of the “community of dreamers” that is Los Angeles. “It’s time we fight for the dream that Los Angeles promised,” he said. “It’s a time for mentoring the next generation of artists. It’s about time for studios to dedicate a real percentage of their slate to shooting in Los Angele. It’s time to lean into making movies on historic studio lots. It’s time to unlock the tax incentives so we can recover from this devastation.”
During the Rachael Harris-hosted ceremony, Lisa Frazza, Barbara Mesney, Dan Sweetman and J. Dennis Washington accepted Lifetime Achievement Awards. Additionally, legendary production designer Carl Jules Weyl was inducted into the ADG Hall of Fame.
The ADG Awards served as a fundraising event, with a portion of the proceeds going to disaster relief efforts for below the camera workers, including guild members, impacted by the recent California fires. The evening also included calls to bring and keep work in California.
“If one truly wants Los Angeles to recover, it’s about jobs,” IATSE’s West Coast vice president Mike Miller asserted, receiving applause as he urged studios to commit to shooting in California, and state and federal lawmakers to increase film and TV filming incentives. Underscoring his point, he related that none of this year’s best picture Oscar nominees were filmed in California.
During the evening, ADG collected donations, with proceeds benefiting the IATSE Walsh Di Tolla Spivak Foundation. Additionally, an on-site silent auction was held, supporting the Motion Picture & Television Fund.
The list of winners follows:
FEATURE FILM NOMINEES:
PERIOD FEATURE FILM
“Nosferatu”Production Designer: Craig Lathrop
FANTASY FEATURE FILM
“Wicked”Production Designer: Nathan Crowley
CONTEMPORARY FEATURE FILM
“Conclave”Production Designer: Suzie Davies
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
“The Wild Robot”Production Designer: Raymond Zibach
TELEVISION NOMINEES:
ONE-HOUR PERIOD SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES
Shōgun: “Anjin”Production Designer: Helen Jarvis
ONE-HOUR FANTASY SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES
Fallout: “The End”Production Designer: Howard Cummings
ONE-HOUR CONTEMPORARY SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES
Squid Game: “Six Legs,” “O X”Production Designer: Chae Kyoung-sun
LIMITED SERIES
“The Penguin”Production Designer: Kalina Ivanov
HALF HOUR SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES
What We Do in the Shadows: “Headhunting”Production Designer: Shayne Fox
MULTI-CAMERA SERIES
Frasier: “All About Eve”Production Designer: Glenda Rovello
VARIETY OR REALITY SERIES
Saturday Night Live: “Host: Ariana Grande, Musical Guest: Stevie Nicks”Production Designers: Akira Yoshimura, Keith Ian Raywood, N. Joseph De Tullio
VARIETY SPECIAL
“Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic”Production Designers: James Yarnell, Steve Morden
COMMERCIALS
Apple Pay: “Plates”Production Designer: François Audouy
MUSIC VIDEOS
Kendrick Lamar: “Not Like Us”Production Designer: Freyja Bardell
TELEVISION MOVIE
“Unfrosted”Production Designer: Clayton Hartley
