British Film Designers Guild unveils Planet Positive Award contenders

The British Film Designers Guild has announced the contenders for their prestigious Planet Positive Award 2024, supported by Sky Studios Elstree. The winner of the award will be announced at the 13th BFDG Awards, supported by BENlabs which takes place at The Londoner Hotel on Saturday 24 February celebrating some of the best creative talent in the film and television industry.

The seven acclaimed productions being considered for the Planet Positive Award are: The Crown, Hijack, A Haunting in Venice, Good Omens, Cobra, The Continental and Sloborn.

The Planet Positive Award, made possible through the support of Sky Studios Elstree, recognises Art Departments that go beyond traditional boundaries of set design and strive to actively reduce their environmental footprint and foster a positive change in production.

Projects on the shortlist have innovatively used sustainable materials, considered their design philosophies to minimise waste and repurposed sets and props.

This award marks a significant step for the industry, affirming sustainability as a cornerstone of creative design, delivered right from the project’s inception rather than as an afterthought.

All entries are on the BFDG website, where the environmentally conscious practices are showcased, highlighting notable cost and time savings, to inspire a shift towards sustainable practices.

The BFDG’s judging panel for the award includes consultants from Sustainable Film and Picture Zero, BAFTA albert, BFDG Committee Members and Sky Studios Elstree executives.

“The BFDG’s Planet Positive Award is leading the charge for conscious creation,” said Blair Barnett, BFDG chairperson. “By celebrating the work of these art departments, the BFDG hopes to encourage a wider embrace of environmental responsibility within the film and television community. Nominating these productions is a significant acknowledgment of their groundbreaking contributions, and will continue to inspire others to seek out innovative, sustainable solutions for their own projects”

Noel Tovey, Managing Director, Sky Studios Elstree highlighted the company’s green initiatives, stating: “Sustainability has always been a priority for us in the creation of Sky Studios Elstree, and we’re proud to have some of the most ambitious studio sustainability goals in the world,” said Noel Tovey, Sky Studios Elstree’s managing director. “That’s why we’re thrilled to be sponsoring the BFDG Planet Positive Award. We hope that by recognising the incredible work of the nominated productions we will inspire and guide the industry towards a greener future.”

“It is fantastic to see such brilliant submissions from ambitious Art Departments who are making critical choices to do better by people and planet,” said April Sotomayer, head of industry sustainability, BAFTA albert. “This year’s entries showed creative thinking to address not only lower carbon options in set design and construction, but on a variety of other sustainability solutions – from designing out waste, reducing or eliminating toxic materials, reuse, and giving back to local communities. The BFDG’s Planet Positive Award is a brilliant way to showcase some of the best and inspire others to normalise these practices in their own work.”