12 hours Ago By Dawn Chmielewski via Reuters
LOS ANGELES (Updated: 11:49 a.m.) — Filmmaker Sean Baker won the Academy Award for best director for “Anora,” a film about an exotic dancer and sex worker who has the chance of a Cinderella story when she marries the son of a Russian oligarch.
READ: Kieran Culkin wins best supporting actor Oscar for ‘A Real Pain’ | ‘Flow’ wins best animated feature film Oscar | Zoe Saldana wins best supporting actress Oscar for ‘Emilia Perez’ role | Israeli-Palestinian film ‘No Other Land’ wins best documentary feature | Brazil’s ‘I’m Still Here’ wins best international film Oscar | Adrien Brody wins best actor for ‘The Brutalist,’ his second Oscar Baker had been favored to win the directing award, having collected top honors from the Directors Guild of America and the Producers Guild of America, and the directing award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards. T he director used his acceptance speech to offer his support for the theatrical experience, especially independent theaters, which have been struggling since the pandemic. “In a time in which the world can feel very divided, this is more important than ever,” said Baker.
“It’s a communal experience, specifically, we don’t get at home.” The filmmaker’s first breakout project was “Tangerine,” a comedy about a transgender sex worker in Los Angeles that was shot on an iPhone. His next film, “The Florida Project,” focused on the plight of families living in poverty near Walt Disney World and told the story of a single mother and the manager of a roadside motel who seek to protect a six-year-old girl’s innocence.
Baker’s next film, “Red Rocket,” follows a washed-up porn star to Texas. His most recent film, “Anora,” dubbed a “bawdy modern fable” by one reviewer, received a total of six nominations, including for best picture. Also nominated in the directing category were Brady Corbet for “The Brutalist,” James Mangold for “A Complete Unknown,” Jacques Audiard for “Emilia Perez” and Coralie Fargeat for “The Substance.
” — Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski; Editing by Howard Goller and Nick Zieminski RELATED: Factbox: Oscar nominations 2025: full list of nominees for 97th Academy Awards.
