News & Press

Updated October 25, 2023
Award date and venue information revised.

The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) Awards Committee today announced nominees for the 2023 HPA Awards creative categories. The HPA Awards celebrate the outstanding achievement and artistic excellence by both individuals and teams, underscoring the pivotal role that their talent and skill play in storytelling. 

Established in 2006, the HPA Awards honor outstanding contributions in color grading, editing, sound, and visual effects across episodics, commercials, and feature films. This year, the committee is also pleased to introduce new award categories recognizing exceptional work in restoration, a transition from a juried honor last year, as well as dedicated categories for work on animated projects.  

The 2023 HPA Awards Creative Category nominees are: 

Outstanding Color Grading – Live Action Theatrical Feature 

“Barbie”
Yvan Lucas // Company 3 

“The Fabelmans”
Michael Hatzer // Picture Shop 

“Asteroid City”
Gareth Spensley // Company 3 

“Oppenheimer”
Kostas Theodosiou, Kristen Zimmerman // FotoKem 

 “Tár”
Tim Masick // Company 3 

  

Outstanding Color Grading – Animated Theatrical Feature 

“Elemental”
Susan Brunig // Pixar Animation Studios 

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie”
Jason Hanel // Company 3 

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
Natasha Leonnet // Picture Shop 

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”
Mitch Paulson // Company 3 

 

Outstanding Color Grading – Live Action Episode or Non-Theatrical Feature 

“Swarm – Stung”
Alastor Pan Arnold // Keep Me Posted 

“Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty – One Ring Don’t Make a Dynasty”
Walter Volpatto // Company 3 

“American Gigolo – Pilot”
Shane Harris // Picture Shop 

“Great Expectations – Episode 2”
Toby Tomkins // Harbor 

“Wednesday – Wednesday’s Child Is Full of Woe”
Siggy Ferstl// Company 3 

 

Outstanding Color Grading – Documentary 

“Descendant”
Sam Daley // Light Iron 

“Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming with Dave Letterman”
Taylor Black // Apache 

“Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie”
Stefan Sonnenfeld, Adam Nazarenko // Company 3 

“Chimp Empire – Paradise”
Blair Wallace // Evolutions Post Production 

“Shaq – From Shaquille to Shaq”
Taylor Black // Apache 

   

Outstanding Color Grading – Commercial 

Zara – “Man SS23 Studio Collection”
Tim Masick // Company 3 

Levi’s – “One Fair Exchange in the Greatest Story Ever Worn”
Sofie Borup // Company 3 

Expedia – “Wisdom & Obi”
Mark Gethin // Trafik 

Duracell x Williams Racing – “Scream”
Tyler Roth // Company 3 

Belvedere – “Daniel Craig”
Matthieu Toullet // Company 3 

    

Outstanding Editing – Theatrical Feature
Sponsored by Blackmagic Design 

“Barbie”
Nick Houy, ACE 

“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”
Eddie Hamilton, ACE 

“Oppenheimer”
Jennifer Lame, ACE 

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
Michael Andrews, ACE 

“Tár”
Monika Willi 

   

Outstanding Editing – Episode or Non-Theatrical Feature (30 Minutes and Under)
Sponsored by Blackmagic Design 

“The Righteous Gemstones – Burn for Burn, Wound for Wound, Stripe for Stripe”
Justin Bourret, ACE 

“Barry – it takes a psycho”
Franky Guttman, ACE 

“What We Do in the Shadows – Local News”
A.J. Dickerson, ACE, Thomas Calderón 

“Barry – a nice meal”
Ali Greer, ACE  

“How To With John Wilson – How To Watch Birds”
Cori Wapnowska 

  

Outstanding Editing – Episode or Non-Theatrical Feature (Over 30 Minutes)
Sponsored by Blackmagic Design 

“The Last of Us – Endure and Survive”
Timothy A. Good, ACE, Emily Mendez 

“White House Plumbers – The Beverly Hills Burglary”
Erick Fefferman, Roger Nygard 

“Succession – With Open Eyes”
Ken Eluto, ACE 

“The White Lotus – Arrivederci”
John M. Valerio, ACE 

“White House Plumbers – True Believers”
Grady Cooper, Jon Merchen 

 

Outstanding Editing – Documentary
Sponsored by Blackmagic Design 

“100 Foot Wave – Lost at Sea”
Alex Keipper, Alex Bayer 

“A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting”
Eric Schuman 

“Being Mary Tyler Moore”
Mariah Rehmet 

“Branson – Episode 2, Atlantic”
Paul Trewartha 

“Moonage Daydream”
Brett Morgen 

   

Outstanding Sound – Theatrical Feature  

“Barbie”
Ai-Ling Lee, Kevin O’Connell, Dan Kenyon // Warner Bros. Post Production Services 

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” 
Scott Gershin, Chris Richardson, Masanobu ‘Tomi’ Tomita, Andrew Vernon, Dan Gamache // Sound Lab a Keywords Studio 

“Creed III”
Aaron Glascock, Tom Ozanich, Walter Spencer, Curt Schulkey // Warner Bros. Post Production Services 

“John Wick: Chapter 4”
Mark Stoeckinger, Andy Koyama, Casey Genton, Alan Rankin, Manfred Banach // Formosa Group 

“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”
Jason W. Jennings, Julian Slater, Greg P. Russell, Paul Pirola, Ken McGill, Mia Stewart // Warner Bros. Post Production Services 

 

 Outstanding Sound – Episode or Non-Theatrical Feature 

“Star Trek: Picard – The Last Generation”
 Matthew E. Taylor, Michael Schapiro, Todd Grace, Ed Carr III, Ian Shedd // Warner Bros. Post Production Services 

“The Last of Us – Infected”
Michael Benavente, Marc Fishman, Kevin Roache, Chris Terhune, Chris Battaglia // Formosa Group 

“Barry – it takes a psycho”
Sean Heissinger, Matthew E. Taylor, John Creed, Rickley Dumm // Warner Bros. Post Production Services
Elmo Ponsdomenech, Teddy Salas // Sony Pictures Entertainment 

“Wednesday – A Murder of Woes”
Mike Baskerville, Jamie Sulek, John Loranger, Alastair Gray, Dan Sexton // Company 3 

 “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Hegemony”
Matthew E. Taylor, Michael Schapiro, Todd Grace, Ed Carr III, Sean Heissinger // Warner Bros. Post Production Services 

   

Outstanding Sound – Documentary 

“32 Sounds”
Mark Mangini, Robert Kellough, Eliza Paley, Joanna Fang, Blake Collins // Formosa Group 

“A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting”
Daniel Timmons // Harbor Sound 

“Good Night Oppy”
Mark Mangini, Dave Whitehead, Tim Walston, Dave Bach, Angela Claverie // Formosa Group 

“If These Walls Could Sing”
George Foulgham, Philip Moroz, Alex Gibson, Tom Verstappen, Miles Sullivan // George Foulgham Soundscapes Ltd. 

“Moonage Daydream”
Nina Hartstone, David Giammarco, John Warhurst, Paul Massey // Public Road Productions 

   

Outstanding Visual Effects – Live Action Feature 

“Avatar: The Way of Water”
Christopher Egden, Nick Epstein, Wayne Stables, Pavani Rao Boddapati, Sergei Nevshupov // Wētā FX 

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
Aaron Weintraub, Jeffrey Schaper, Cameron Carson, Emma Gorbey, Warren Lawtey // MPC 

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”
Guy Williams, Daniel Macarin, Mike Cozens, Mark Smith, Marvyn Young // Wētā FX 

“Avatar: The Way of Water”
David Vickery, Lee Briggs, Jan Maroske, Steve Ellis, Miguel Perez-Senent // Industrial Light & Magic 

“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts”
Matt Aitken, Mike Perry, Aaron Cowan, Kevin Estey, Jong Jin Choi // Wētā FX 

 

Outstanding Visual Effects – Live Action Episode or Series Season 

“Andor – Season One”
Mohen Leo, Scott Pritchard // Industrial Light & Magic
TJ Falls // Lucasfilm
Joseph Kasparian // Hybride
Jelmer Boskma // Scanline  

“House of the Dragon – The Heirs of the Dragon”
Angus Bickerton, Nikeah Forde, Mike Bell // MPC
Sven Martin, Mark Spindler // Pixomondo 

“The Last of Us – Season One”
Simon Jung, Aaron Cowan, David Hampton, Dennis Yoo, Ben Roberts // Wētā FX 

“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power – Season One”
Ron Ames, Jason Smith, Jesse Kobayashi, Ryan Tudhope, Sam Scott // Amazon Studios 

“The Mandalorian – Season Three”
Grady Cofer, Abbigail Keller, Paul Kavanagh, Delio Tramontozzi // Industrial Light & Magic
Bobo Skipper // Important Looking Pirates 

 

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects – Episode or Series Season 

“Barry – Season Four”
Justin Ball, Laura Hill, Andrew Kalicki, David Lopez, Manuel Guizar // Crafty Apes 

“Citadel – Secrets in Night Need Early Rains”
Aladino Debert, Greg Teegarden, James Reid, Matthew Rotman, Viv Jim // Digital Domain 

“Interview with the Vampire – Is My Very Nature That of a Devil”
Ted Rae, Tavis Larkham, Matthew Harris, Hugo Leveille, J.V. Pike // FuseFX 

“The Night Agent – Season One”
Grant Miller, Hallana Barbosa, Pierceon Bellemare, Mariia Osanova, Ben Stommes // Ingenuity Studios 

“The Righteous Gemstones – Season Three”
Bruce Branit, Valeri Pfahning // Rough House
Fred Ruff // Refuge VFX
Ed Bruce // Screen Scene Studios
David Lebensfeld // Ingenuity Studios 

 

Outstanding Achievement in Restoration 

“Casablanca”
1942
Warner Bros. 

“Cinderella”
1950
Disney

“Cimarron”
1931
Warner Bros. 

“The Godfather”
1972
Paramount Pictures 

“Winds of Chance”
1925
First National Pictures and Christopher Gray Post Production  

 

As previously announced, winners of the coveted Engineering Excellence Award include Adobe for Adobe Premiere Pro Text-Based Editing, Flanders Scientific for XMP550, and Kino Flo for Mimik 120, with StypeLandXR receiving an Honorable Mention. 

The awards gala is set for November 28, 2023, at The Television Academy | Wolf Theatre in Hollywood. Tickets for the event are now available at hpaonline.com. 

The HPA Awards are made possible through the generous support of diamond title sponsor Blackmagic Design; event sponsors Deluxe, FotoKem, and Pixelogic; supporting sponsors Adobe, AVID, Sohonet and Colorists Society; and dessert sponsors Warner Bros. Post Production Creative Services Worldwide and Xytech. 

HPA extends gratitude to its industry partners, including the American Society of Cinematographers, American Cinema Editors, and Cinema Audio Society for their collaboration on craft categories, as well as its judging facility hosts: FotoKem, Pixelogic, and Deluxe Digital Cinema. For sponsorship or program advertising opportunities, contact Joyce Cataldo at jcataldo@hpaonline.com. More information about the HPA Awards and the Hollywood Professional Association can be found at www.hpaonline.com.