British costume designer Sandy Powell will be honoured at this year’s BAFTA Film Awards with a Fellowship – the arts charity’s highest honour, and the first time it has gone to a costume designer.
Powell – who has three Oscars to her name for Shakespeare in Love, The Aviator and The Young Victoria – will be presented with the accolade at the ceremony taking place in London on Sunday February 19, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to film.
She has been mastering her craft for more than three decades, with her body of work also including: The Favourite, Interview with a Vampire, The Crying Game, Mary Poppins Returns, Cinderella, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Irishman and Velvet Goldmine.
Powell received her first BAFTA and Oscar nominations for Orlando, going on to win three BAFTA Awards for Best Costume Design from five nominations.
As part of her Fellowship, she will work with upcoming costume designers through BAFTA’s talent programme.
On receiving her Fellowship, Powell says:
“I am hugely flattered to receive the BAFTA Fellowship and especially proud to be the first Costume Designer. I am lucky in that I love what I do and have been extremely fortunate to have collaborated with some of the most talented and inspirational people in the industry both behind and in front of the camera. I look forward to many more years to come.”
Jane Millichip, BAFTA’s CEO, says:
“Sandy Powell is not only a great designer, she is a great storyteller. Her costumes are mesmerising in their beauty, but they also interpret narrative brilliantly and provide the infrastructure for character. For more than three decades, Sandy has raised awareness for the craft of costume design in film and provided a spotlight for designers in the act of filmmaking. We look forward to honouring Sandy’s work this month at our EE BAFTA Film Awards and to working with her over the next year to inspire the next generation of costume designers and storytellers.”