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Oscar Pop! 2021’s Best Picture Nominees as Original Pop Art Posters

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When casting an eye back over the goings-on this week, I felt a subtle pang of despair. Between the capitalist nightmare that was the ill-fated European Super League, David Cameron lobbying dramas and… more Prince Philip, it all just felt so regressive and hopeless. So, for my parting shot this week I thought I’d look ahead instead; ahead to this weekends 93rd Academy Awards ceremony and what has been a pretty stellar year for movies, if not the cinema industry.

As is becoming tradition, I turned to our old friends at Shutterstock and their annual Oscar Pop challenge. For the uninitiated, this is an in-house challenge run every year (though this year in April instead of February, obviously) that asks Shutterstock designers to use the companies own assets to construct inventive versions of this year’s nominated movies.

Shutterstock’s ninth annual Oscar Pop! poster series reimagines movie posters for the 2021 Academy Award for Best Picture nominees. Turning to world-famous pop artists for aesthetic inspiration, the designers used Shutterstock’s collection of over 300 million photos, vectors, patterns, and textures to capture the spirit of the films, while showcasing the unique and varied possibilities of stock assets. 

Below, you’ll not only get a glimpse of this year’s posters but will be able to hear from the designers themselves how iconic art, masterful storytelling, and creative passion can come together to inspire something beautiful and new. With the kind of year we’ve had, surely that’s something which deserves celebrating? So, grab the popcorn and dive into to truly spectacular design work. 

Oh, and I’ve seen most of the film’s below and for my money “Sound of Metal” is the film of the year. But then anything Riz Ahmed is in is generally worth watching. #mancrush

 

The Father

Poster by Zahi Haddad

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The Father is a heart-wrenching drama about the final (lucid) days of Anthony, an eighty-year-old man unknowingly battling dementia. I found it brilliant, especially the way it sometimes leaves the audience in a state of confusion resembling Anthony’s.

The pop artist I chose, Banksy, utilizes confusion and the unknown in his own work. In 2006, he shocked the art world at an auction when his painting Love is in the Bin shredded itself immediately after selling for £1.04 million. It reminds me of the way Anthony’s mind self-destructs in The Father. Both question what is tangible in reality, with sanity and societal values an illusion that can be stripped away from us at any moment.

 

Judas and the Black Messiah

Poster by Nicole Dai

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Led by brilliant performances from Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield—as well as an all-Black production team—Judas and the Black Messiah tells the story of the killing of Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton. Who better to use as inspiration for the film’s poster than revolutionary artist and Minister of Culture for the BPP, Emory Douglas?

I wanted to convey the struggles each main character faced, and showcase the dynamic between them using Douglas’s energetic illustration style. Like Douglas, I included a short caption in the poster to send a message that will continue to resonate in 2021.

 

Mank

Poster by Alice Lee

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Mank is a black-and-white biopic about screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz and his work on the classic film Citizen Kane. The movie focuses on the struggles Mankiewicz faced during that period, from writing the script to battling alcohol addiction.

I thought Yayoi Kusama’s artwork was perfect for the movie’s poster. Inspired by her style, I employed polka dots around the typewriter, which is a key element in the story, and contrasted the movie’s subdued colour scheme with a bright, bold central element that’s still in line with the minimalism of the film’s look and feel.

 

Minari

Poster by Thanh Nguyen

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Set in the 1980s, Minari is an intimate, wonderfully absorbing drama that follows a Korean-American family’s move to an Arkansas farm in search of their own slice of America. It tells a classic immigrant story rooted in both the hope of endless possibility and the pain of heart-rending setbacks.

Peter Max is a German-American artist who specializes in vibrantly-coloured Pop and Psychedelic Art. Similar to the protagonists, Max’s family also migrated—first to China, then to Israel, and eventually to the US, where a young Peter Max explored his passion for art. As a result, Max’s early work is a perfect blend of fascination for Eastern culture and Western influence. Much like Minari, Max’s eye-catching work invokes positive, uplifting feelings.

 

Nomadland

Poster by Will Banchero

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After the economic collapse of her Nevada hometown, Fern (portrayed by Francis McDormand) hits the open road to explore life in Nomadland. The movie takes us on a journey through the American West, offering an in-depth look at the lasting effects of the Great Recession.

Johanna Goodman is a multidisciplinary artist based in New York. She creates collages of towering female figures, utilizing pictures that range from her personal photography to vintage photos of everyday objects. I chose Johanna because the women in her work are self-sufficient, liberated, and independent—much like Fern, a maverick at heart who’s compelled to take the road less travelled.

 

Promising Young Woman

Poster by Abi Gaudreau

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Promising Young Woman is a thrilling revenge tale about a woman who seeks to avenge the sexual assault of her best friend. The film’s charming, “feminine” pastel color palette stands in stark contrast to the story’s underlying themes of manipulation and grief, as well as its painful nods toward gender inequality and rape culture.

My poster is inspired by Pauline Boty, the sole founder of the British Pop Art movement. Boty used her art as a way to redress the sexism that she experienced, making her work a perfect inspiration for this movie poster. I juxtaposed the film’s bright colours with the dark undertones of its story, mixing a bubbly colour palette with black collage elements that instil a sense of chaos. I want the film and the poster to convey the idea that, indeed, looks can be deceiving.

 

Sound of Metal

Poster by Jac Castillo

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Sound of Metal tells the story of a drummer who loses his hearing and is forced to relearn how to communicate with the world around him. The film depicts his struggle and withdrawal, and explores the internal conflict caused by his belief that being deaf is something to ‘fix.

As I was drawn to the musical aspect of the film, I chose Jamie Hewlett—best known as the illustrator for the band Gorillaz—as the influence for my movie poster. Admiring Hewlett’s work inspired me to play around with 2D illustration and integrate it with real-world, three-dimensional imagery.

 

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Poster by Alex Bodin

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In the film, we’re faced with the battle of words between the defendants and the government. At one point, defendant Bobby Seale is bound and gagged in the courtroom, erasing his fundamental ability to use words in order to speak up for—and defend—himself.

The message from the activists/defendants is powerful enough to spark protests, empowering more and more people to lend their own voices to the call for justice. I tried to illustrate all of that in my poster, how the piecing together of these simple symbols can create something seemingly larger than life.

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