Oscars 2025: Sean Baker's 'Anora' Wins Best Picture, Sweeps the Academy Awards
'Anora' emerged as the evening’s biggest winner, securing five awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing for Baker, along with Best Actress for Mikey Madison.
In a night filled with many expected and some historic wins, Sean Baker’s Anora took home the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 2025 Oscars. The film, a screwball comedy set in Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach, follows a young sex worker whose relationship with a Russian oligarch’s son spirals into chaos. It emerged as the evening’s biggest winner, securing five awards, including Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing for Baker, along with Best Actress for Mikey Madison.
The Best Picture race featured a diverse lineup of films competing with Anora including The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, I’m Still Here, Nickel Boys, The Substance, and Wicked.
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Among them, Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez made history with 13 nominations—the most ever for a non-English-language film—while The Brutalist and Wicked followed closely with 10 nominations each.
Baker’s achievement was particularly notable, as he became one of the few filmmakers to win Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing in the same year, joining the ranks of legends like the Coen Brothers and Alfonso Cuarón. Mikey Madison’s Best Actress win marked a breakthrough moment, with her performance in Anora widely praised as a career-defining turn.
Also Read | Oscars 2025: Mikey Madison Wins Best Actress for 'Anora'
Baker paid tribute to the sex worker community during one of his acceptance speeches. “They have shared their stories, they have shared their life experiences over the years, my deepest respect, I share this with you,” he said. The director also urged audiences to keep the business of movie theatres alive. “Where did we fall in love with the movies? At the movie theatre.” He requested filmmakers to “keep making films for the big screen” so we can preserve “a communal experience you simply don’t get at home”.
The success of Anora highlights the Academy’s growing embrace of independent cinema, with Baker’s signature style — reminiscent of 1970s filmmaking — resonating with voters.