Simon Bowles

Simon Bowles is an internationally recognized award winning British production designer who has worked with some of the UK's most exciting directors, such as Neil Marshall, Amma Asante, Armando Iannucci, Oliver Parker, Roger Michell, Edgar Wright and James Watkins. Simons talent is as imaginative as it is accurate. His work has been featured in publications including Architectural Digest and Variety. He came to the film industry from the theatre world where he trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Simon Bowles was recognized early in his career for designing the maze of underground caves built at Pinewood Studios for The Descent, which won accolades at the Evening Standard British Film Awards, Empire Awards, British Independent Film Awards and Philadelphia Film Festival. In 2012 Simon Bowles designed Roger Michell's Hyde Park on Hudson set in 1930s Upstate New York about the British royal family visiting the USA and their stay with Franklin Roosevelt, played by Bill Murray, shot entirely in the UK. Bowles's work was mentioned in reviews; "handsomely decked out with a sharp eye" by Todd McCarthy in the Hollywood Reporter and "Hyde Park on Hudson boasts top-notch production design" by Geoffrey Macnabb in The Independent and "excellent production design from Simon Bowles completes this dreamy, impeccable film" by Clare Stuart, BFI. Bowles went on to win the British Film Designers Guild award for his design of this film. In 2014 Simon Bowles designed PRIDE directed by Matthew Warchus which was nominated for a Golden Globe and won a BAFTA for the most outstanding debut. Simon Bowles designed period drama Belle set in 18th century London, which was directed by Amma Asante, with whom he further collaborated with on A United Kingdom, which stars David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike. For this film Bowles was nominated in the category Best Production Design at the British Film Designers Guild awards 2017. Bowles designed Crooked House based on the Agatha Christie novel, screenplay by Julian Fellowes. Released 2017, directed by Giles Paquet-Brenner starring Glenn Close, Christina Hendricks, Gillian Anderson, Max Irons, Stefani Martini and Terrence Stamp. Simon Bowles won a British Film Designers Guild award for his work on Johnny English Strikes Again for Working Title starring Rowan Atkinson, directed by David Kerr, produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Chris Clarke. Simons striking designs for Armando Iannucci's sci-fi epic drama Avenue 5 can be currently seen on HBO.