Mary Zophres, the Oscar-nominated costume designer whose work is featured in this year’s best picture Oscar frontrunner La La Land and also the early-year release Hail, Caesar!, has been tapped for the Key West Film Festival’s career achievement award, which will be presented as part of the fest’s inaugural “Costume Design Focus” program.
The 52-year-old Florida native will be presented with the award by Deborah Nadoolman Landis, one of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ three costume design branch representatives on the organization’s board of governors.
Zophres, who has worked in the film industry since 1989, is best known for her work on the Coen brothers films Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men, True Grit and, mostly recently, the aforementioned Hail, Caesar! Other credits include Steven Spielberg‘s Catch Me If You Can and Christopher Nolan‘s Interstellar.
“We are so proud to be putting a focus on costume design, an often overlooked art form that truly creates the artistry and magic of movies,” the fest’s director of programming Michael Tuckman said Friday in a statement. “It’s a natural extension of the community of Key West in keeping with the creative handmade spirit that thrives here, from Fantasy Fest to the island’s rich historic tradition of cultivating local artists and writers.”
He added: “What better way to begin this annual showcase than with Mary Zophres, who is not only among the most accomplished costume designers to ever work in the movies, but also a native Floridian to boot, hailing from Fort Lauderdale.”
