Anora emerged as the biggest winner at the 97th Academy Awards, taking home five awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress.
Sean Baker’s internationally-lauded Anora swept the 97th Academy Awards, winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Actress (for lead Mikey Madison). With his 4 Oscar wins for the same movie, he has now created history for winning the most Academy Awards for the same film in one evening.
Despite costing only $6 million to make, Anora defeated major Hollywood blockbusters like “Wicked and Dune: Part Two”. With just $16 million at the box office, it is one of the lowest-earning films ever to win Best Picture. The victory follows a trend of the Academy honouring independent films, much like “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, “CODA”, and “Nomadland”.
Sean Baker himself was the night’s biggest winner, claiming four Oscars—Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Original Screenplay. This historic achievement ties him with Walt Disney, who won four Oscars in a single year in 1954.
During his speech, Baker emphasized the significance of cinemas, stating, “Where did we fall in love with the movies? At the movie theatre. Filmmakers, keep making films for the big screen.” He concluded with a heartfelt declaration: “Long live independent film!”
Mikey Madison also earned the Best Actress award for her standout performance. The only category where Anora didn’t secure a win was Best Supporting Actor, where Yura Borisov lost to Kieran Culkin, who starred in A Real Pain.
“Flow” beat “The Wild Robot” for best animated feature film while “In the Shadow of the Cypress” won for best animated short. Paul Tazewell became the first Black man to win an Oscar for costume design for his work on “Wicked.”
This time, the Indian film named Anuja joined the Oscar race, however, it lost to I’M Not A Robot in the Best Live Action Short Film category. This film has been co-produced by Guneet Monga and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. This year, comedian Conan O’Brien hosted the award show for the first time.
About the Film Anora
Anora tells the gripping tale of a 23-year-old sex worker living in Brighton Beach, a Russian-American enclave in Brooklyn. Her routine existence is upended when she crosses paths with Ivan “Vanya” Zakharov, the privileged son of a powerful Russian oligarch, Nikolai Zakharov. Initially hired for a week for $15,000, Anora soon finds herself at the center of an unexpected whirlwind romance when Vanya impulsively proposes marriage. As their relationship unfolds, the story delves into themes of ambition, resilience, vulnerability, and the intricate dynamics of love and power.
