Beloved costume designer Donna Berwick, most known for her work on Spike Lee’s 2020 war/action movie Da 5 Bloods, passed away on July 14 from breast cancer; She was 66. Berwick was nominated for best contemporary film by the Costume Designers Guild for her work on Da 5 Bloods, which tells the story of five Vietnam veterans who return years later to search for their squad leader’s remains, along with the fortune he hid.
As a film, Da 5 Bloods switches between eras with ease, capturing the characters’ past trauma and its effects on their present. Berwick’s work on the costuming for the film plays a crucial role in the film’s aesthetic, helping to capture the trauma of war and its lasting effects on the present. Berwick is also known for her work on Spike Lee’s Inside Man, the iconic crime thriller starring Denzel Washington, as well as Eric Dickerson’s Juice, which stars hip-hop legend, Tupac Shakur.
Born in Queens in the late 1950s, Berwick attended the School of Visual Arts in New York where she earned a BFA, as well as an associate’s degree in fashion design from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Berwick worked in the New York garment district for over a decade, before eventually shifting her skills towards the film industry. Berwick is survived by her siblings Jeffrey, Stephan, and Beverly Simmons.
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