Sandy Powell
We’re delighted to welcome BAFTA and Academy Award-winning costume designer Sandy Powell to this year’s festival. Renowned for her work on an array of Hollywood films, she’s the winner of three Oscars for Shakespeare in Love (1998), The Aviator (2004) and just recently, The Young Victoria (2009). She has won BAFTAs for films including Velvet Goldmine (1998) – and has won numerous other awards for her work on pictures such as Orlando (1992).
Sandy grew up in London and studied Theatre Design at Central St Martins School of Art, before leaving to work on designing costumes for experimental British director Derek Jarman. She went on to work on various iconic big-budget productions, including The Crying Game (1992) and Interview with the Vampire (1994).
Of her work on The Wings of the Dove (1997) the Independent said her costume design makes “you long to glide down the Grand Canal in Venice in a gondola by moonlight”. Praise such as this eventually led Sandy towards collaboration with Martin Scorsese on Gangs of New York (2002) and she’s since gone on to work with him on a string of productions including Silence, their latest collaboration due for release in 2011.
Sandy will be bringing some original dresses from The Young Victoria, which will be on display in the House, and telling us all about her extraordinary life and work.
“Sandy’s great gift is her ability to make historical costumes look contemporary.”
Harvey Weinstein, Co-Founder, Miramax
Links:
- Sandy Powell fact file
- Sandy Powell talks to Times Online about costume design
- Sandy Powell talks to Clothes on Film about The Young Victorian
Video:
Sandy Powell interview following 2010 BAFTA success:
