Mad Max: Fury Road dominates technical Oscars®
Mad Max: Fury Road roared away from the Academy Awards with six awards – the most trophies won by any movie on the night and Australia’s most successful film at the Oscars® in history.
Actor Charlize Theron with director Dr George Miller on the set of Mad Max: Fury Road
Nominated in 10 categories, it swept up statuettes in costume design, production design, hair and makeup, editing, sound editing and sound mixing.
Another Australian was also involved in Best Film winner Spotlight – executive producer Peter Lawson. While he did not receive his own statuette, Lawson originally helped bring Spotlight to Open Road Films.
Screen Australia Head of Business and Audience Richard Harris congratulated everyone who was nominated and awarded.
“Here in the Australian film industry we are already proud of the many men and women who write, direct, perform, design and produce movies. But at moments like this when the whole world also shares our pride, we get a special thrill,” he said.
“There's nothing like one of our own winning an Oscar."
The success of the post-apocalyptic road movie by Dr George Miller began last May, when it premiered to critical acclaim at Cannes Film Festival. It followed that up by becoming a hit with audiences too, earning $21.67 million in box office receipts in Australian alone.
While visiting Australia, director Quentin Tarantino called it his favourite film of last year.
With its six Oscars®, Fury Road won three more than any other film on the night.
In total, eight statuettes went to Australians working on Fury Road (with more than one person winning in these technical categories).
Although it was filmed in Namibia instead of Broken Hill (an unforeseen amount of rainfall made the usually barren outback bloom), Fury Road is the latest in the Australian Mad Max franchise, with many Aussies filling out the cast and crew.
Here’s a guide to Fury Road’s wins:
- BEST FILM EDITING
South African-born Australian film editor Margaret Sixel (married to Dr George Miller)
- BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Australian hair and makeup artist Lesley Vanderwalt, and Australian makeup artists Elka Wardega and Damian Martin
- BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Australian production designers Colin Gibson and Lisa Thompson
- BEST SOUND EDITING
Australian sound editor David White and American sound designer Mark Mangini
- BEST SOUND MIXING
Australian sound designer Ben Osmo, American re-recording mixer Greg Rudloff and American sound designer Chris Jenkins
- BEST COSTUME DESIGN
English costume designer Jenny Beavan
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Mad Max: Fury Road editor Margaret Sixel on the practicalities of recreating George Miller’s famous dystopian world.
04 May 2015
Caroline Baum