LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Anora” creator Sean Baker won best director, best picture and two other Academy Awards at the Oscars on Sunday, bookending a dominant awards season for the American filmmaker whose stories seek to humanize sex workers and immigrants.
Baker, 53, wrote, produced, directed and edited the most dominant film of the night. The comedy-drama stars Mikey Madison as a Brooklyn exotic dancer who marries the impetuous son of a Russian oligarch. They impulsively tie the knot on a ketamine-induced Las Vegas getaway, angering his parents, who send their bumbling henchmen after the couple to force an annulment.
“Anora” swept on Sunday with five overall wins — two more than “The Brutalist.” Four of those statues went to Baker, who now ties Walt Disney for the most wins in a single year in Academy Awards history. (Unlike Disney in 1954, all Baker’s wins were for a single project. Bong Joon Ho was the previous record holder for most wins for a single film, in 2020 for “Parasite.”)
In addition to best director and best picture, Baker won for best original screenplay and best editing — a rarity as directors don’t typically cut their own films. He came into the night the favorite for the directing Oscar after earning the top prize from the Directors Guild of America, a win that historically all but guarantees an Oscars victory. He also took home the top awards at the Producers Guild and Independent Spirit Awards.
In his best director acceptance speech, he exhorted filmmakers to keep creating projects for the big screen, bemoaning the erosion of the theatergoing experience.
“In a time in which the world can feel very divided, this is more important than ever,” Baker said. “It’s a communal experience you simply don’t get at home. If we don’t reverse this trend, we’ll be losing a vital part of our culture. This is my battle cry.”
Baker told Quentin Tarantino, who presented the award, that if he hadn’t cast Madison in 2019’s “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” there would be no “Anora.” On Sunday, Madison took home the lead actress award — her first Oscar.
“Thank you so much to Sean. I adore you. This is all because of you,” Madison said onstage.
This year’s best director lineup featured five first-time nominees in the category for the first time in nearly three decades. All had writing credits on their respective films, demonstrating the academy’s growing preference for auteurs who can masterfully bring their own vision to life. For the Oscar, Baker beat out Brady Corbet of “The Brutalist,” James Mangold of “A Complete Unknown,” Jacques Audiard of “Emilia Pérez” and Coralie Fargeat of “The Substance.”
“Anora” brings Baker’s signature style of provocative comedy from indie theaters into the mainstream, blending slapstick humor with social commentary in a way that makes lessons about marginalized groups palatable to a wider audience. He made the film on a modest budget of $6 million — an amount one producer previously joked is smaller than the catering budget of some of its competitors. He said Sunday that it was the best $6 million ever spent. Last year’s best picture winner, “Oppenheimer,” had a $100 million budget.
Baker has been vocal about the difficulty of making independent films and surviving as an indie filmmaker in an industry that increasingly supports big-budget spectacles. In a rousing speech at the Independent Spirit Awards, he said indies are in danger of becoming “calling card films” — movies made only as a means to get hired for projects at major studios. Without backing for independent films, he said, some of the most creative and innovative projects might never be made.
He said he hopes the success of “Anora” will increase support for indie projects.
Baker has long been passionate about using his craft to help destigmatize sex work. His 2012 film “Starlet” follows a budding friendship between an adult film star and a crotchety widow who sells her a thermos full of cash at a yard sale. Baker said the connections he formed with sex workers involved in the project inspired him to feature them in several other films.
He received widespread praise for “Tangerine” (2015), in which he used three iPhone 5S smartphones to tell a story about transgender sex workers in Los Angeles. In “The Florida Project” (2017), a single mother living in an Orlando motel turns to sex work to provide for her daughter. And “Red Rocket” (2021) follows a retired porn actor’s journey back to his small Texas hometown.
Baker and Madison weren’t the only ones to pick up Oscars for “Anora” — producers Alex Coco and Samantha Quan, Baker’s wife, also received statues for the best picture win.
Adrien Brody wins best actor for his performance in ‘The Brutalist’
Adrien Brody clinched his second Oscar for best actor, winning Sunday for his role as a visionary Hungarian architect in “ The Brutalist ” and solidifying his legacy as one of Hollywood’s most compelling talents.
Brody took home best actor at the 97th Academy Awards for his powerful portrayal of Lázló Tóth, who escapes the Holocaust and sails to the United States to find his American Dream. The film spans 30 years in the life of Tóth, a fictional character whose unorthodox designs challenged societal norms, and his relentless pursuit of artistic integrity.
Mikey Madison wins best actress Oscar for ‘Anora’
Mikey Madison won the best actress Oscar on Sunday for “Anora,” a role that catapulted the 25-year-old into a film career after achieving initial success on television.
Her victory was part of a huge night for the Brooklyn-set comedy-drama, which won five Oscars, including best picture and directing honors for Sean Baker.
“Wow, this is very surreal,” Madison said, having hugged Baker and others before taking the stage.
“Forgive me, I’m nervous,” she said before reading off a list of names from a piece of paper.
Madison had been best known for playing a sullen teenager in the FX comedy series “Better Things,” which ended in 2022. She also appeared in the hit movies “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” and the fifth installment of the horror franchise “Scream.”
Kieran Culkin wins best supporting actor, completing his sweep
Kieran Culkin won the Oscar for best supporting actor Sunday at the 97th Academy Awards, completing a sweep of the category that followed his dominance in television awards last season.
The award, for portraying the chaotic but endearing Benji in Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain”, marked his first win and nomination.
Zoe Saldaña wins first Oscar as best supporting actress in ‘Emilia Perez’
Zoe Saldaña earned her first Academy Award for best supporting actress in “Emilia Pérez,” capping an already accomplished awards season Sunday.
The win adds to a collection of successes for the star on the awards circuit: Saldaña won her first Golden Globe in January, and notched wins at the British Academy Film Awards, the Critics Choice Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
‘I’m Still Here’ from Brazil wins Oscar for best international film
“I’m Still Here,” a Brazilian film about a family torn apart by the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil for more than two decades, won the Oscar on Sunday for best international film.
The Walter Salles film stars Fernanda Torres as Eunice Paiva, the wife of Rubens Paiva, a former leftist Brazilian congressman who, at the height of the country’s military dictatorship in 1971, was taken from his family’s Rio de Janeiro home and never returned.
‘No Other Land’ wins Oscar for best documentary
“No Other Land,” the story of Palestinian activists fighting to protect their communities from demolition by the Israeli military, won the Oscar for best documentary on Sunday.
The collaboration between Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers follows activist Basel Adra as he risks arrest to document the destruction of his hometown, which Israeli soldiers are tearing down to use as a military training zone, at the southern edge of the West Bank. Adra’s pleas fall on deaf ears until he befriends a Jewish Israeli journalist who helps him amplify his story.
“About two months ago, I became a father, and my hope to my daughter that she will not have to live the same life I’m living now, always fearing settlers, violence, home demolitions and forcible displacements,” said Adra as he received his award Sunday night.
‘Flow’ wins animated feature
“Flow,″ a wordless cat parable, won the Oscar for animated feature at Sunday’s 97th Academy Awards. The win gives Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis his first Academy Award.
“Flow” was made with Blender, a free, open-source graphics software tool using computer generated animation. The result is a dreamy aesthetic paired with a peaceful, yet post-apocalyptic, fable about a black cat, dog, capybara, ring-tailed lemur and secretary bird trying to survive a catastrophic flood. The film has no dialogue and forces viewers to be mesmerized by the unlikely relationship and understanding between the species trying to escape the rising waters.
James Bond gets a musical tribute from global pop superstars
The Oscars launched into a four-part tribute to James Bond, opening with “The Substance” actor Margaret Qualley and dancers, followed by Blackpink’s LISA serenade of “Live and Let Die,” Doja Cat with “Diamonds Are Forever” and RAYE with “Skyfall.”
The tribute comes on the heels of a shakeup that stirred the film industry: The longtime custodians of the James Bond movies handed over creative control to Amazon MGM in late February. Amazon bought MGM Studios in 2022 for $6.1 billion, a purchase that was significantly motivated by the acquisition of one of the movies’ most beloved and long-running franchises.
Here’s the complete list of winners at the 97th annual Academy Awards:
Best picture
Best Actor
Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”
Best Actress
Mikey Madison, “Anora”
Director
Sean Baker, “Anora”
Best Supporting Actress
Best Supporting Actor
International Film
Documentary Feature
Original Screenplay
Adapted Screenplay
“Conclave,” Peter Straughan
Original Score
“The Brutalist,” Daniel Blumberg
Original Song
“El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez”
Animated Film
Visual Effects
“Dune: Part Two”
Costume Design
“Wicked,” Paul Tazewell
Cinematography
“The Brutalist,” Lol Crawley
Documentary Short Film
“The Only Girl in the Orchestra”
Best Sound
“Dune: Part Two”
Production Design
“Wicked”
Makeup and Hairstyling
“The Substance”
Film Editing
“Anora,” Sean Baker
Live Action Short Film
“I’m Not a Robot”
Animated Short Film
“In the Shadow of the Cypress”
