Sandy Powell becomes the first costume designer to receive a BAFTA scholarship

British costume designer Sandy Powell will be honored with a scholarship at this year’s BAFTA Film Awards – the arts foundation’s highest accolade, which goes to a costume designer for the first time.

Powell – who has three Oscars to her name Shakespeare in love, The Dragon And The young Victoria – will receive the award at the ceremony to be held in London on Sunday 19 February in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the film.

She has been mastering her craft for over three decades and her work also includes: The Favorite, Interview with a Vampire, The Wine Game, Mary Poppins returns, cinderella, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Irishman And Velvet gold mine.

Powell received her first BAFTA and Oscar nominations for Orlando, won three BAFTA Awards for Best Costume Design from five nominations.

As part of her fellowship, she will work with emerging costume designers as part of the BAFTA talent programme.

Upon receiving her grant, Powell says:

“I am very flattered to receive the BAFTA award and especially proud to be the first female costume designer. I’m lucky to love what I do and I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the most talented and inspiring people in the industry, both behind and in front of the camera. I look forward to many more years to come.”

Jane Millichip, Chief Executive of BAFTA says:

“Sandy Powell is not only a great designer, she is also a great storyteller. Her costumes are mesmerizing in their beauty, but also brilliantly interpret the story and provide the infrastructure for character. For more than three decades, Sandy has raised awareness of the art of costume design in film and brought designers into the spotlight of filmmaking. We look forward to honoring Sandy’s work at our EE BAFTA Film Awards this month and to working with her in the coming year to inspire the next generation of costume designers and storytellers.”