One Battle After Another emerged as the top winner at this year’s (SDSA) Set Decorators Society of America Awards.
Set decorator Anthony Carlino, working alongside production designer Florencia Martin, took home two honors for the Paul Thomas Anderson film: Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Contemporary Feature Film and the Best Picture award.
In the fantasy and science fiction category, “Frankenstein” won Best Achievement in Décor/Design for a Fantasy or Science Fiction Film from an International Organization. The film’s set decorator Shane Vieau collaborated with production designer Tamara Deverell on the project.
Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Period Feature Film went to “Hamnet,” with set decoration by Alice Felton and production design by Fiona Crombie.
Meanwhile, “Wicked: For Good” won Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Comedy or Musical Feature Film. The film’s set decoration was led by Lee Sandales, working with production designer Nathan Crowley.
In recent years, SDSA winners have often gone on to claim Academy Awards for production design. This year, the teams behind “Frankenstein,” “One Battle After Another” and “Hamnet” all secured Oscar nominations.
For “Frankenstein,” director Guillermo del Toro insisted on building the world physically rather than relying on green screen. “We had 20 sculptors at any given moment working,” Deverell said of the large-scale handmade sets, created in close collaboration with Vieau to ensure visual authenticity.
On “Hamnet,” Crombie and Felton faced the challenge of recreating London’s Globe Theatre in the late 1500s, a set that dominates the film’s third act. Felton also highlighted the intimate details of Shakespeare’s household, including the glove workshop, as key design elements grounding the story.
For “One Battle After Another,” the design team focused on lived-in realism. Willa’s bedroom was built onto the small cottage set, which was dressed to reflect years of shared history between father and daughter. Carlino and Martin incorporated artwork from Anderson’s children, while actor Chase Infiniti contributed childhood photos used to personalize the space.
The SDSA Awards once again underscored the crucial role of set decoration in shaping cinematic worlds, from intimate period interiors to expansive genre landscapes.
The complete list of SDSA winners is below:
Best Picture
One Battle After Another
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Set Decoration by Anthony Carlino with Production Design by Florencia Martin
Best Achievement In Décor/Design Of A Contemporary Feature Film
One Battle After Another
Set Decoration by Anthony Carlino with Production Design by Florencia Martin
Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Period Feature Film
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Fantasy or Science Fiction Film
Frankenstein
Set Decoration by Shane Vieau with Production Design by Tamara Deverell
Best Achievement in Décor / Design of a Comedy or Musical Feature Film
Wicked: For Good
Set Decoration by Lee Sandales with Production Design by Nathan Crowley
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