Life & Work.
I was born & raised in Denmark but opted for England to study Production Design at The National film & Television School, from which I received an MA in 2004 and the Kodak add award for best Production Design. Since my graduation I have designed a varied number of films in DK and abroad.
Amongst them, the indie horror feature “When animal dreams” from 2015, for which I was awarded my first “Robert” - Danish Academy prize for best Production Design, my second, for the period piece “A day will come” 2017.
Moving between different genres is something I love.
For my production design work on several danish features, I received the State Arts Fond honorary award in and The Nordic Film travel prize in 2017, which brought me on an inspirational journey to new destinations.
I believe travelling is essential to keep the stream of inspiration alive. Both in life but equally so working on film projects, which often provide you with a rare ticket to enter remote areas or exclusive environments.
In 2021 I was nominated for a Guldbagge Production design award for my work on the Swedish film “Charter” and a Danish academy award nomination for Thomas Vinterberg´s film “Another Round” 2020 plus Malou Reymann´s “A perfectly Normal Family”.
For the filmography, please see: Letterbox
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Press Quotes below
Press
“Production designer Sabine Hviid’s work in this film shows that how one arranges their space is a living testament to their own identity.”
- Review “The Charmer” - Reverse Shot
“An important shout-out must be given to production designer Sabine Hviid who also had a huge part in the overall look. The best visuals are always those captured in-camera with as little manipulation done afterwards.”
- Colourist Dylan R. Hopkin - Cinematogrophy World
"The production design in this film is magnificent, which each of the two homes telling us a good deal about its residents. The abundance of lived-in detail conceals clues which will scream out loud to anyone with a grounding in the typical behaviours of predatory individuals and couples, yet this perfectly mirrors the way that worrying behaviours become lost in everything else that’s going on.“
Review “Speak No Evil” - eyeforfilm.co.uk
“An elegant production design by Sabine Hviid and Kristina Kovacs, capable of providing a strong visual appeal while skilfully playing with dust, smoke, lights and shadows.”
- Review of “The Penultimate” - Cineuropa
“The visual storytelling, created with the help of DOP Erik Molberg Hansen, editor Nicolaj Monberg, and production designer Sabine Hviid, adds to this dichotomy. The roads, the houses, the rooms, everything looks very comfortable when framed in mid shots and medium close-up shots. But as soon as they pull back ever so slowly to show us the rest of the topography (literal and psychological), we realize how isolated, and thereby helpless, they actually are.”
- Sundance film festival review
“The production, visual point of view and aesthetics of the movie are also outstanding, whether it's the costumes, vehicles, brick streets or any other 1940s element that looks authentic and distinct.”
Review of “Shadow in my eyes/ The bombardment” - Bangkok Post
" At the end of the day, what works about the film is its hellbent ambition to be nasty, grimy and intentionally intolerable in its execution. The whole adult cast is game for it, Dutch couple's house and Sabine Hviid's production design reveal secrets slowly and the brothers' script examines blurry lines of politeness and cruel forgiveness often expertly. ."
- Review “Speak no evil” - AFTER MISERY
"I first and foremost look for something that resonates on a personal level, no matter what the genre is."
- Interview - Production Designers Collective
“»Det er tydeligt for os, at Sabine Hviid er det store samlende element i værkerne med et stærkt moderne udtryk, som fastholder filmkunsten, udfordrer den visuelle fortælling og fremtidssikrer filmen som fortælleform. Hun har en særlig evne til at møde publikum i øjenhøjde. Hendes blik for både filmens overordnede udtryk og selv de mindste detaljer giver Sabine Hviid en sjælden evne til at skabe verdener, som er tro imod filmenes præmis og tematik, men som samtidig fremstår som et værk i værket.«”
-Prize award speech - Berlingske
“Vi har arbejdet med at skabe et Gotham City i københavnsk format. Så det er allegorisk og mytisk, men bevarer en realistisk stil – en by, man tror på eksisterer" fortæller produktionsdesigner Sabine Hviid, der har stået for "Underverdens" produktionsdesign”.
- Interview - DFI
Speak No Evil is a visually stunning allegory about the dangers of prioritizing politeness over personal boundaries….Beyond the lush cinematography, effects, and production design, the story feels both relevant and timeless.
- Sundance film festival Review
Med fotografen Jacob Sofussens smukt komponerede billeder i det næsten kvadratiske 35mm - format & Scenograferne Sabine Hviid & Kristina Kovacs dystopiske design… får Jonas Kjærup Hjort forløst sit manuskript til en opsigtsvækkende filmoplevelse.
-Politiken - anmeldelse