Anna Pinnock

''Anna Pinnock'' is a British set decorator known for winning the Academy Award for Best Production Design for her work on The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), shared with production designer Adam Stockhausen, and for her long-term collaborations with director Wes Anderson on visually distinctive films and shorts. ^{[1] [2]} She has contributed to a wide range of high-profile projects, including James Bond films such as Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, and Spectre, as well as Life of Pi, Into the Woods, Gosford Park, and The Golden Compass. ^[3] Her work has earned her multiple Academy Award nominations in the production design/set decoration category. ^[3] Born in Canterbury, England, into an intellectual and artistic family—her father was a publisher and her mother a singer—Pinnock entered the film industry in the late 1980s, initially working as a production buyer and prop buyer on titles including Hellbound: Hellraiser II and Being Human. ^[3] She transitioned to set decoration in the mid-1990s and quickly established herself as a leading figure in the field, mentored early on by set decorator Stephanie McMillan and building a career across genres from period dramas and fantasy to science fiction and major franchises. ^{[2] [3]} Pinnock's frequent partnership with Wes Anderson and production designer Adam Stockhausen has been a defining aspect of her later career, notably shaping the meticulously detailed and stylized worlds of The Grand Budapest Hotel and more recent projects such as The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, The Rat Catcher, and The Phoenician Scheme. ^[2] Her approach emphasizes thorough research, focused prop selection, and collaborative vision-building, contributing to the immersive atmospheres of the films she works on. ^[2]

Early life

Background and education

Anna Pinnock was born in 1961 in Canterbury, England, the daughter of publisher Kenneth Pinnock and singer Joyce Pinnock. ^[3] She was raised in an intellectual and artistic family, with her older brother Trevor Pinnock going on to become a renowned conductor and musician. ^{[4] [3]} Pinnock holds a degree in English and Drama. ^[2] She began her involvement in the film industry as a runner on The Bostonians, initially washing costumes but drawn to set decoration after time with the drapes department. ^[2] She received early mentorship from set decorator Stephanie McMillan, who lived nearby and provided guidance. ^[2]

Career

Early work in the art department

Anna Pinnock began her career in the film industry's art department during the late 1980s and 1990s, working primarily as a production buyer on several feature films. ^[5] Her credits in this capacity include Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988), Dealers (1989), Waterland (1992), Being Human (1994), Cutthroat Island (1995), and Restoration (1995). ^[5] She also took on roles as a set dresser and in related art department positions during this period, including as set dresser on the 1997 television movie The Mill on the Floss. ^[5] These early positions across the 1980s and 1990s allowed Pinnock to develop practical expertise in art department operations for film and television productions. ^[5]

Transition to set decoration and breakthrough

Pinnock transitioned to set decoration after earlier work in the art department, including as a production and prop buyer and set dresser on films beginning in the late 1980s. ^[3] She advanced to set decoration in the mid-1990s, with initial credits on projects such as Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (1996), The Fifth Element (1997), and Lost in Space (1998). ^[3] Her major set decoration roles began around 2000, including serving as set decorator for the London unit on Proof of Life (2000) and for the United Kingdom unit on The Holiday (2006). ^[5] Pinnock's breakthrough arrived with her first Academy Award nomination, for Best Art Direction on Gosford Park (2001). ^[3] This recognition marked the start of a series of nominations for her set decoration work, including for The Golden Compass (2007) and Life of Pi (2012). ^{[3] [6] [7]} She achieved greater acclaim with her win for Best Production Design on The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), shared with production designer Adam Stockhausen. Pinnock received additional Academy Award nominations for Into the Woods (2014) and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016). ^{[3] [8]}

Key collaborations

Anna Pinnock has developed several notable long-term professional relationships in her career as a set decorator, particularly with directors who have engaged her for multiple projects. Her most frequent collaboration is with director Wes Anderson and production designer Adam Stockhausen, beginning with The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), where their combined work earned the Academy Award for Best Production Design. This partnership extended to the Netflix short films The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023), The Rat Catcher (2023), and Poison (2023), all directed by Anderson with Stockhausen as production designer, and is set to continue with the upcoming feature The Phoenician Scheme (2025). Pinnock has also maintained a recurring collaboration with director David Yates on the Fantastic Beasts film series within the Wizarding World franchise, serving as set decorator for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018), and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022). She contributed to three entries in the James Bond series, working on Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), and Spectre (2015). Additionally, Pinnock has worked with director Steven Spielberg on two high-profile projects: Ready Player One (2018) and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023). Her collaboration with director Christopher Nolan includes set decoration for the action film Tenet (2020). These partnerships highlight Pinnock's role in realizing distinctive visual worlds across auteur-driven films, blockbusters, and franchise entries.

Recent and upcoming projects

In recent years, Anna Pinnock has maintained a prolific career in set decoration, contributing to a range of major film and television productions. ^[5] She served as set decorator on the 2019 Hulu miniseries Catch-22, a six-episode adaptation directed by George Clooney and others. ^[5] Her work continued with the 2022 fantasy film Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, directed by David Yates. ^[3] In 2023, Pinnock handled set decoration for James Mangold's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny as well as three short films directed by Wes Anderson: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, The Rat Catcher, and Poison, extending her ongoing collaboration with the filmmaker. ^{[3] [2]} She next decorated sets for Steve McQueen's historical drama Blitz in 2024. ^[9] Pinnock reunited with Anderson on the 2025 espionage comedy The Phoenician Scheme, noted for its extensive variety of sets—including boats, planes, trains, subterranean tunnels, opulent nightclubs, a corn field, a hotel, and a greenhouse—built at Studio Babelsberg and various Potsdam locations. ^[2] Her upcoming projects include set decoration on Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Digger, slated for 2026, and Robert Eggers' Werwulf, which is currently in filming for a 2026 release. ^{[10] [11]}

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

Anna Pinnock has received six nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Best Art Direction (later renamed Best Production Design), achieving one win. Her first nomination came at the 74th Academy Awards for Best Art Direction on Gosford Park (2001), shared with production designer Stephen Altman. She earned her second nomination at the 80th Academy Awards for Best Art Direction on The Golden Compass (2007), in collaboration with production designer Dennis Gassner. Pinnock received her third nomination at the 85th Academy Awards for Best Production Design on Life of Pi (2012), shared with production designer David Gropman. At the 87th Academy Awards, Pinnock secured two nominations for Best Production Design: one for Into the Woods (2014), again shared with Dennis Gassner, and the other for The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), shared with production designer Adam Stockhausen, which won the award in recognition of her collaboration with director Wes Anderson and Stockhausen. Her sixth nomination occurred at the 89th Academy Awards for Best Production Design on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), shared with production designer Stuart Craig.

Other recognitions

Anna Pinnock has received extensive recognition from industry organizations for her set decoration and production design contributions beyond the Academy Awards. She won the BAFTA Award for Best Production Design for The Grand Budapest Hotel (shared with Adam Stockhausen) in 2015 and again for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (shared with Stuart Craig) in 2017. ^{[12] [13] [14]} In 2021, she earned the Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design Award for Fantasy Film for Tenet. ^[15] Pinnock has secured multiple nominations from the Set Decorators Society of America, including for Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Fantasy or Science Fiction Feature Film for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in 2024 and Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Comedy or Musical Feature Film for The Phoenician Scheme in 2025. ^{[16] [17]} According to her awards profile on IMDb, she has accumulated approximately 20 wins and 40 nominations across various award bodies throughout her career. ^[18]