Reimagining 1950s Hollywood: Andrea Figueroa Chavez Brings Period Design and Psychological Storytelling to Sunrise Boulevard

Production designer Andrea Figueroa Chavez explores classical Hollywood, film noir and the emotional power of architecture in the period drama Sunrise Boulevard, which earned a Best Production Design / Art Direction nomination at the 2024 Burbank International Film Festival.

Recreating a particular period in cinematic history requires more than finding the right furniture, selecting vintage props or reproducing the architectural details of another era. For Mexican production designer Andrea Figueroa Chavez, the challenge lies in understanding how those visual elements can contribute to a story’s emotional and psychological identity.

That approach became central to her work on Sunrise Boulevard, a 2024 period drama written and directed by Mike Montagna, which explores the complex relationship between artistic creativity, emotional suffering and unconventional forms of expression.

Set in 1955, the film follows a famous actress experiencing a creative crisis who enters an unconventional clinic where artists undergo experimental therapy based on sorrow to rediscover their inspiration. The institution operates on the belief that suffering is essential to artistic creation. However, the actress’s naturally joyful personality begins to transform the other patients, challenging the clinic’s philosophy and raising questions about the relationship between creativity, emotional experience and artistic expression.

Produced by Mike Montagna, Roy Shellef and Arina Sakoun, the film brought together a creative team that included cinematographer Rocket Scott, art director Angélica Figueroa Sarabia and Andrea as production designer.

“Working as the Production Designer on Sunrise Boulevard was an opportunity to explore the visual language of classical cinema, combining the elegance of 1950s Hollywood with the psychological atmosphere of film noir and influences from European auteur cinema,” Andrea explains.

The production was filmed primarily inside a Baroque-style mansion in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, which was transformed into the fictional clinic. Rather than completely reinventing the location, Andrea approached the mansion’s existing architecture as an essential component of the design. Its classical interiors provided a foundation for the film’s period setting, while carefully selected furniture, textures and props helped establish the atmosphere of an institution that exists somewhere between artistic sanctuary and psychological experiment.

The film’s unconventional premise allowed her to explore the relationship between historical authenticity and cinematic stylization. Although the clinic presents itself as a serious institution dedicated to artistic recovery, its underlying philosophy creates opportunities for absurdity and dark humor. The production design needed to support both the apparent sophistication of the environment and the increasingly unusual behavior taking place within it.

Andrea used props and carefully composed interiors to create visual contrasts that complemented the screenplay’s theatrical qualities.

“One of the most enjoyable aspects of the project was balancing the seriousness of the period setting with the film’s unusual sense of humor,” she recalls.

Within the fictional clinic, Andrea approached the environment as a reflection of its contradictory philosophy. Through the placement of objects, textures and carefully composed interiors, she introduced subtle visual clues that invited audiences to question the institution’s seemingly respectable appearance.

“I wanted the audience to feel transported into another era, one that existed historically but could still feel unfamiliar, almost dreamlike,” she explains.

Her contribution to Sunrise Boulevard formed part of the film’s recognition at the 2024 Burbank International Film Festival, where it received a nomination for “Best Production Design / Art Direction”.

Figueroa Chavez continues to explore the relationship between nostalgia, visual storytelling and surrealism in her current projects. She is currently working on a short film centered on Día de Muertos, where vintage aesthetics and elements of Mexican cultural tradition come together to create a world that moves between memory and imagination. Looking ahead, she is also set to work on an upcoming photoshoot for recording artist DARVISHI, bringing her cinematic approach to a new visual collaboration within the music industry.

“Period design is not simply about recreating the past; it is about understanding its visual language and interpreting it through the emotional needs of a story.”

For more on Andrea Figueroa Chavez and her creative work, visit her Instagram and IMDb profiles.