Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Production Design

The competition: The Father (Peter Francis and Cathy Featherstone), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Mark Ricker, Karen O'Hara, and Diana Stoughton), Mank (Donald Graham Burt and Jan Pascale), News of the World (David Crank and Elizabeth Keenan), and Tenet (Nathan Crowley and Kathy Lucas)

Previous winners: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Black Panther, The Shape of Water, La La Land, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Great Gatsby
My winner: Coming soon!
The facts: O’Hara won in 2010 for “Alice in Wonderland” and was nominated in 1986 for “The Color of Money.” Burt won in 2008 for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” Pascale contended in 2005 for “Good Night, and Good Luck.” Crowley was previously nominated for “First Man,” “Dunkirk,” “Interstellar,” “The Dark Knight,” and “The Prestige,” making this the fourth time a Christopher Nolan film has earned him a spot here. Lucas was also nominated for “First Man.” At both the Art Directors Guild Awards and Set Decorates Society of America Awards, “Mank” defeated “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “News of the World” in the period film category, while “Tenet” won the fantasy prize. I had the opportunity to speak with three of the artisans nominated in this category – Ricker, Burt, and Crank – so make sure to click through to read those pieces.

 
Who should win: I’d vote for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “News of the World,” or “Mank.”
Who will win: This feels like a likely win for Mank though it could also be “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”