The past few months have been about carrying ideas forward. In February, we wrapped our inaugural Circular Production Design-Build Workshop after four weekends of hands-on learning, experimentation, and collaboration. Since then, much of our focus has been on taking what we learned through that pilot and finding ways to make it useful beyond the people who were in the room.
On April 30th, we launched the CPD Sustainability Playbook, a free resource created to help production designers and art departments make more informed and sustainable choices throughout the production process. The Playbook brings together practical guidance around design, sourcing, construction, scenic work, set decoration, props, reuse, materials, and what happens at wrap.
For us, the Playbook is a natural continuation of the workshop. The pilot gave us an opportunity to test circular design principles through actual design and construction, while the Playbook allows us to share that thinking much more broadly. A French translation is also underway and will be released in early fall, helping us make the resource more accessible to art departments across the country.
We also see the Playbook as a living resource that will continue to grow as our industry learns, as better materials and systems become available, and as more people share what is working on their productions.
That same spirit of connection and knowledge-sharing is also important to how we are building CPD nationally. Earlier this month, CPD Vice President Olga Devuyst helped host a Production Designers Vancouver Meetup with the Production Designers Collective, bringing together BC-based designers and a few international production designers for an informal morning of conversation and connection. Opportunities like this are an important part of strengthening relationships across the profession and creating more space for designers to exchange ideas, build relationships, and stay engaged with colleagues nationally and internationally.
This spring also brought a proud moment for Canadian production design when Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau won the Academy Award for Production Design for Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. Their win continues a remarkable period of recognition for Canadian production design and set decoration at the Oscars. In 2018, Paul Austerberry, Shane Vieau, and Jeff Melvin won for The Shape of Water. In 2022, Patrice Vermette won for Dune, while Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau were nominated for Nightmare Alley. At the 2025 Oscars alone, four of the ten Production Design nominees were Canadian: Patrice Vermette and Shane Vieau for Dune: Part Two, Craig Lathrop for Nosferatu, and Patricia Cuccia for The Brutalist.
For Shane, the Frankenstein win is part of an especially remarkable run, marking his fourth Production Design nomination since 2018 and his second Oscar win.
Seeing Canadian work recognized at that level is something worth celebrating, not only for Tamara and Shane, but for the extraordinary teams in Toronto, Scotland, and across the UK who helped create the film’s visual world. Recognition of our work is an important part of CPD’s mandate, and we want to continue broadening how we celebrate Canadian production designers, set decorators, and art departments across the many awards that recognize their work, with particular attention to ensuring strong work from across the country is seen and acknowledged nationally.
Alongside that outward-facing work, we are continuing to strengthen the CPD itself. This spring, we welcomed Helen Kotsonis to our Board of Directors as Treasurer. As the organization grows, bringing more people into leadership is an important part of building the capacity, perspectives, and experience we need for the work ahead.
There is still much we want to do. We are continuing to develop training opportunities, expand our sustainability work, strengthen recognition of Canadian production design, and build a more connected national community. The past few months have been a reminder that the work does not end when a project launches. The real value comes from what we build from it next.
Thank you to everyone who continues to contribute ideas, expertise, time, and encouragement to the CPD. I’m excited about where this work is taking us and about how much more we can accomplish together.
Rose Lagacé
President | Canadian Production Design Association
