In advance of International Production Design Week, running October 17 through 26, 2025, we asked eight designers to discuss a single prop or piece of scenery from their work and its role in the world of the film.
The Lost Daughter (Maggie Gyllenhaal, 2021).
Inbal Weinberg on the plastic doll in The Lost Daughter (2021)
“If anything were to happen to our doll, the shoot would have to stop.”
Grey Gardens (Michael Sucsy, 2009).
Kalina Ivanov on Edie’s portrait in Grey Gardens (2009)
“I was holding in my hands a total disaster.”
Shiva Baby (Emma Seligman, 2020).
Cheyenne Ford on the dining room lamps in Shiva Baby (2020)
“We need you to finish decorating the house tomorrow.”
Late Fame (Kent Jones, 2025).
Tommaso Ortino on the poet’s desk in Late Fame (2025)
“One day, Pietro found a beautiful piece of trash.”
Aftersun (Charlotte Wells, 2022).
Billur Turan on the bathroom tiles in Aftersun (2022)
“We wanted it to feel as if he were submerged underwater.”
Harvest (Athina Rachel Tsangari, 2024).
Nathan Parker on the maps in Harvest (2024)
“A boar on a Venetian balcony, why not?”
The Imitation Game (Morten Tyldum, 2014).
Maria Djurkovic on Alan Turing’s “Bombe” in The Imitation Game (2014)
“Although some red cables spill from the real machine, artistic license allowed me to use them far more abundantly.”
Sentimental Value (Joachim Trier, 2025).
Jørgen Stangebye Larsen on the vase in Sentimental Value (2025)
“The moment is playful, almost childish, a comic struggle for ownership of something neither of them really needs.”