‘Dune’ Production Designer Patrice Vermette Pays Tribute To Late Jean-Marc Vallée In Oscar Speech

Production designer Patrice Vermette and set decorator Zsuzsanna Sipos took home statuettes for their work on Dune at the Oscars on Sunday, with Vermette paying “special” tribute to his “friend” Jean-Marc Vallée—the Canadian filmmaker behind Big Little Lies, Dallas Buyers Club and more, who died suddenly in December at age 58.

Vermette also thanked director Denis Villeneuve “for allowing us to dream” and “for being a great friend,” saying, “I owe this to you.”

“I’m such a crybaby, I’m sorry,” added Sipos. “It means an awful lot and I just want to thank my team and everyone who participated, and for the opportunity.”

Both Vermette and Sipos are first-time winners, though the former had previously been nominated for his work on the films The Young Victoria and Arrival. The pair bested the teams behind Guillermo del Toro’s carnival noir Nightmare Alley (production designer: Tamara Deverell, set decorator: Shane Vieau), Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of West Side Story (production designer: Adam Stockhausen, set decorator: Rena DeAngelo), Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth (production designer: Stefan Dechant, set decorator: Nancy Haigh), and Jane Campion’s Netflix Western The Power of the Dog (production designer: Grant Major, set decorator: Amber Richards). They had been top contenders to win the Production Design Oscar throughout the 2022 awards season, having already won a BAFTA Award, an Arts Directors Guild Award for Fantasy Film and a Critics’ Choice Award, among other accolades.

Dune was nominated in a total of 10 categories, also including Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Editing, Visual Effects and Sound. The film also tonight claimed statuettes for Cinematography, Original Score, Editing, Visual Effects and Sound.

Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures is based on Frank Herbert’s classic 1965 novel of the same name. It tells the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), the son of a noble family who is thrust into a war within the deserts of the inhospitable planet Arrakis, after finding himself entrusted with the protection of the most valuable asset in the galaxy.  Dune has thus far grossed more than $400M worldwide, with Legendary and Warner Bros. having greenlit a sequel back in October. It’s slated for release on October 20, 2023.

Check out Vermette and Sipos’ speech above, and backstage comments below.