Sean Baker, the creator of “Anora,” won Best Director, Best Picture, and two other Academy Awards at the Oscars on Sunday, marking the end of a successful awards season for the American filmmaker. His films often focus on humanizing sex workers and immigrants.
Baker, 53, wrote, produced, directed, and edited the most successful film of the night. The comedy-drama stars Mikey Madison as a Brooklyn exotic dancer who marries the reckless son of a Russian oligarch. They impulsively get married during a ketamine-filled trip to Las Vegas, which angers his parents. They send their clumsy henchmen after the couple to force them to annul the marriage.
“Anora” won five awards on Sunday, two more than “The Brutalist.” Four of those awards went to Baker, who now ties Walt Disney for the most wins in a single year at the Academy Awards. (Unlike Disney in 1954, all of Baker’s wins were for one film. Bong Joon Ho held the previous record for most wins for a single film with “Parasite” in 2020.)
In addition to Best Director and Best Picture, Baker won for Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing, which is unusual because directors typically don’t edit their own films. He entered the night as a favorite for the Best Director award, having already won the top prize from the Directors Guild of America, a win that often leads to an Oscar victory. He also took home top awards at the Producers Guild and Independent Spirit Awards.
In his Best Director acceptance speech, Baker encouraged filmmakers to continue creating projects for the big screen, lamenting the decline of theater experiences.
“In a time when 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 have been no “Anora.” On Sunday, Madison won the Best Actress award, her first Oscar.
Sean Baker with the winning Oscars“Thank you so much to Sean. I adore you. This is all because of you,” Madison said during her acceptance speech.
This year’s Best Director category featured five first-time nominees, which hadn’t happened in nearly 30 years. All of the nominees had writing credits on their films, showing the Academy’s growing preference for filmmakers who can successfully bring their own vision to life. Baker won the award over 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 unique style of bold comedy from indie theaters to the mainstream. It combines slapstick humor with social commentary, making lessons about marginalized groups accessible to a broader audience.
He made the film on a modest budget of $6 million, which one producer joked was smaller than the catering budget of some competitors. Baker called it the best $6 million ever spent. For comparison, last year’s Best Picture winner, “Oppenheimer,” had a $100 million budget.
Baker has spoken out about the challenges of making independent films and surviving as an indie filmmaker in an industry that increasingly favors big-budget films.
In a passionate speech at the Independent Spirit Awards, he said independent films are in danger of becoming “calling card films,” made only to help filmmakers get hired for projects at major studios. Without support for independent films, he argued, some of the most creative and innovative projects might never be made.
He hopes that the success of “Anora” will lead to more support for independent films.
Baker has long been committed to using his films to reduce the stigma around sex work. His 2012 film “Starlet” tells the story of a growing friendship between an adult film star and a grumpy widow. The widow sells her a thermos full of cash at a yard sale. Baker said that the connections he formed with sex workers while making the film inspired him to feature them in other projects.
He received widespread praise for “Tangerine” (2015), which used three iPhone 5S phones to tell the story of 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. “Red Rocket” (2021) follows the story of a retired porn actor returning to his small Texas hometown.
Baker and Madison weren’t the only ones to win Oscars for “Anora.” Producers Alex Coco and Samantha Quan, who is also Baker’s wife, received Oscars for Best Picture.
