John Bright (costume designer) explained

John Myles Milton Bright (born 7 March 1940) is a British costume designer. He is perhaps best known for his collaboration with Jenny Beavan on creating the costumes for Merchant Ivory Productions. He has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design six times, winning for A Room with a View (1985).

In 2022, Bright set up The Bright Foundation, an arts education charity to provide access to the arts for children living in and around Hastings, East Sussex. The organization operates out of two venues, including the Barn Theatre and Museum and the Benbow Arts Space. The former venue features a barn-converted children's theatre and workshop studio, alongside a museum and exhibition space showcasing Bright's collection of period toys, puppets, and theatre sets, while the latter venue is located in the heart of St Leonards-on-Sea and is a creative learning hub dedicated to the art of filmmaking, where young people can discover their passion, develop skills and begin their journey into the film industry. The Foundation offers free access to both venues to schools and community groups.

Partial filmography

Year	Title	Director	Notes
1984	The Bostonians	James Ivory	Co-designed with Jenny Beavan
1985	A Room with a View
1987	Maurice
1988	The Deceivers	Nicholas Meyer
1990	Mountains of the Moon	Bob Rafelson
1991	White Fang	Randal Kleiser
1992	Howards End	James Ivory
1993	The Remains of the Day
1995	Jefferson in Paris
	Sense and Sensibility	Ang Lee
1996	Twelfth Night	Trevor Nunn	aka Twelfth Night: Or What You Will
1999	The Last September	Deborah Warner
	Onegin	Martha Fiennes	Co-designed with Chloé Obolensky
2000	The Golden Bowl	James Ivory
2002	The Magnificent Ambersons	Alfonso Arau	Television film
2005	The White Countess	James Ivory
2019	Carmilla	Emily Harris

Awards and nominations

Award	Year	Category	Work	Result
Academy Awards	1985	Best Costume Design	The Bostonians		[1]
	1987		A Room with a View		[2]
	1988		Maurice		[3]
	1993		Howards End		[4]
	1994		The Remains of the Day		[5]
	1996		Sense and Sensibility		[6]
British Academy Film Awards	1985	Best Costume Design	The Bostonians		[7]
	1987		A Room with a View		[8]
	1993		Howards End		[9]
	1996		Sense and Sensibility		[10]
Satellite Awards	2005 (Dec)	Best Costume Design	The White Countess		[11]

Other honours

• Bright was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2024 Birthday Honours for services to costume design and to heritage.

Notes and References

1. Web site: 57th Academy Awards . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . August 15, 2023.
2. Web site: 59th Academy Awards . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . August 15, 2023.
3. Web site: 60th Academy Awards . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . August 15, 2023.
4. Web site: 65th Academy Awards . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . August 15, 2023.
5. Web site: 66th Academy Awards . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . August 15, 2023.
6. Web site: 68th Academy Awards . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . August 15, 2023.
7. Web site: 38th British Academy Film Awards . British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) . August 15, 2023.
8. Web site: 40th British Academy Film Awards . British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) . August 15, 2023.
9. Web site: 46th British Academy Film Awards . British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) . August 15, 2023.
10. Web site: 49th British Academy Film Awards . British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) . August 15, 2023.
11. Web site: 2005 Nominees & Winners. International Press Academy. August 3, 2024. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20071203042013/http://pressacademy.com/satawards/awards2005b.shtml. December 3, 2007.