FILM #33
OF 39
95TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 2023 OSCARS CHALLENGE
“BABYLON”
MARCH 1, 2023
PARAMOUNT+
DAY 37
OF 48
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Costume Design by Mary Zophres
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures
(Original Score)
Composed by Justin Hurwitz
Best Achievement in Production Design
Production Design by Florencia Martin
Set Decoration by Anthony Carlino
Old Hollywood is on full display in Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon.” Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, and Diego Calva all play industry folk at different stages of their careers. Robbie is an unknown wannabe actress plucked from obscurity at a random Hollywood party, Pitt is a silent movie star making the challenging transition to “talkies,” and Calva is an assistant that works his way up to a big-time producer. The parties and attitudes are boisterous, and the characters’ interactions are often tense and hilarious.
Even though the film takes place in the 20s and 30s, brought to life by the recreated set designs, it still feels updated, with costumes that were from the era but look and feel brand new. Margot Robbie’s red dress at the film’s beginning is iconic, and we’ll still recognize it decades from now. Justin Hurwitz’s score is often front and center, with big bands playing during debaucherous parties. There’s an entire subplot of a black trumpeter, Sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo), rising the ranks, and his melodies often bleed into the score.
Although overly long, “Babylon” is refreshing because it takes a darker, more honest look at Hollywood in its early days. Previous films about that era are often whitewashed and picturesque. However, Chazelle strips away the glamour and reveals the industry’s underbelly, where people were exploited and abused.
PREVIOUS NOMINATIONS
Mary Zophres
| 91st Academy Awards (2018) | Best Costume Design | “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” | Nominee |
| 89th Academy Awards (2016) | Best Costume Design | “La La Land” | Nominee |
| 83rd Academy Awards (2010) | Best Costume Design | “True Grit” | Nominee |
Justin Hurwitz
| 89th Academy Awards (2016) | Best Original Score | “La La Land” | WINNER |
| Best Original Song | “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” from “La La Land” | Nominee | |
| Best Original Song | “City of Stars” from “La La Land” | WINNER |
Florencia Martin
| First-time nominee |
Anthony Carlino
| First-time nominee |
A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, it traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood.
Directed by Damien Chazelle
Paramount Pictures
December 23, 2022
189 minutes
ACCOLADES
BAFTA Awards — Best Production Design [Winner]
BAFTA Awards — Best Costume Design (Nominee)
BAFTA Awards — Best Original Score (Nominee)
Art Directors Guild Awards — Production Design/Period Film [Winner]
Austin Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Score Winner]
Boston Online Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Original Score [Winner]
Chicago Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Original Score [Winner]
Chicago Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Costume Design (Nominee)
Chicago Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Art Direction/Production Design (Nominee)
Chicago Indie Critics Awards — Best Musical Score (Nominee)
Columbus Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Score (Nominee)
Costume Designers Guild Awards — Excellence in Period Film (Nominee)
Critics Ass. of Central Florida Awards — Best Production Design [Winner]
Critics Ass. of Central Florida Awards — Best Score (Nominee)
Critics Choice Awards — Best Production Design [Winner]
Critics Choice Awards — Best Costume Design (Nominee)
Critics Choice Awards — Best Score (Nominee)
Denver Film Critics Society Awards — Best Original Score [Winner]
DiscussingFilm Critics Awards — Best Production Design [Winner]
DiscussingFilm Critics Awards — Best Original Score (Nominee)
DiscussingFilm Critics Awards — Best Costume Design (Nominee)
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards — Best Production Design [Winner]
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards — Best Score [Winner]
GALECA: Society of LGBTQ Ent. Critics Awards — Film Music of the Year (Nominee)
Georgia Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Production Design [Winner]
Georgia Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Original Score (Nominee)
Girls on Film Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
Gold Derby Awards — Original Score [Winner]
Gold Derby Awards — Production Design [Winner]
Gold Derby Awards — Costume Design (Nominee)
Golden Globes Awards — Best Original Score – Motion Picture [Winner]
Greater Western New York Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Score (Nominee)
Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards — Best Original Score [Winner]
Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards — Best Art Direction [Winner]
Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards — Best Costume Design (Nominee)
Hollywood Critics Ass. Creative Arts Awards — Best Production Design [Winner]
Hollywood Critics Ass. Creative Arts Awards — Best Score [Winner]
Hollywood Critics Ass. Creative Arts Awards — Best Costume Design (Nominee)
Houston Film Critics Society Awards — Best Original Score (Nominee)
Intl Film Music Critics Awards — Best Original Score for a Drama Film (Nominee)
Intl Online Cinema Awards — Best Original Score (Nominee)
Intl Online Cinema Awards — Best Costume Design (Nominee)
Intl Online Cinema Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards — Best Art Direction [Winner]
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards — Best Costume Design (Nominee)
Latino Ent. Journalists Ass. Film Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
Latino Ent. Journalists Ass. Film Awards — Best Costume Design (Nominee)
Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Awards — Best Costume and Makeup [Winner]
Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Awards — Best Music (Nominee)
Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
Movie Music UK Awards — Best Original Score for a Drama Film (Nominee)
Music City Film Critics’ Ass. Awards — Best Score [Winner]
Music City Film Critics’ Ass. Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
North Carolina Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Costume Design (Nominee)
North Carolina Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
North Carolina Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Score (Nominee)
North Dakota Film Society Awards — Best Production Design [Winner]
North Dakota Film Society Awards — Best Costume Design [Winner]
North Dakota Film Society Awards — Best Original Score [Winner]
Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Awards — Best Score [Winner]
Online Film Critics Society Awards — Best Original Score (Nominee)
Online Film Critics Society Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
Online Film Critics Society Awards — Best Costume Design (Nominee)
Phoenix Critics Circle Awards — Best Score [Winner]
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards — Best Original Score [Winner]
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards — Best Production Design [Winner]
Portland Critics Ass. Awards — Best Original Score (Nominee)
Portland Critics Ass. Awards — Best Costume Design (Nominee)
Portland Critics Ass. Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards — Best Production Design [Winner]
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards — Best Costume Design (Nominee)
San Fran. Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
San Fran. Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards — Best Original Score (Nominee)
Santa Barbara Intl Film Festival Awards — Production Design [Winner]
Satellite Awards — Best Original Score [Winner]
Satellite Awards — Best Production Design [Winner]
Satellite Awards — Best Costume Design [Winner]
Seattle Film Critics Society Awards — Best Original Score [Winner]
Seattle Film Critics Society Awards — Best Production Design [Winner]
Seattle Film Critics Society Awards — Best Costume Design (Nominee)
Set Decorators Society of America Awards — Best Decor/Design of a Period Film (Nominee)
St. Louis Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Score (Nominee)
Best Achievement in Costume Design
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
1. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” — Ruth E. Carter
2. “Elvis” — Catherine Martin
3. “Babylon” — Mary Zophres
4. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” — Shirley Kurata
5. “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” — Jenny Beavan
PERSONAL PREDICTIONS
1. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” — Ruth E. Carter
2. “Elvis” — Catherine Martin
3. “Babylon” — Mary Zophres
4. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” — Shirley Kurata
5. “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” — Jenny Beavan
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
1. “Babylon” — Justin Hurwitz
2. “The Fabelmans” — John Williams
3. “The Banshees of Inisherin” — Carter Burwell
4. “All Quiet on the Western Front” — Volker Bertelmann
5. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” — Son Lux
PERSONAL PREDICTIONS
1. “All Quiet on the Western Front” — Volker Bertelmann
2. “The Banshees of Inisherin” — Carter Burwell
3. “Babylon” — Justin Hurwitz
4. “The Fabelmans” — John Williams
5. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” — Son Lux
Best Achievement in Production Design
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
1. “Babylon”
2. “Elvis”
3. “Avatar: The Way of Water”
4. “All Quiet on the Western Front”
5. “The Fabelmans”
PERSONAL PREDICTIONS
1. “Elvis”
2. “Babylon”
3. “All Quiet on the Western Front”
4. “Avatar: The Way of Water”
5. “The Fabelmans”
