Sean Baker makes history with four Oscar wins as ‘Anora’ takes Best Picture award

Anora, a romantic comedy-drama film written, directed, produced, and edited by Sean Baker has scripted history at the 97th Academy Award ceremony held on Sunday, March 2, 2025. The film took home five Oscars, including Best Picture. Director Sean Baker won four golden statues, while the lead star Mikey Madison won the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

The film is about a s*x worker, Anora Mikheeva, who falls in love and marries Vanya Zakharov, the son of a Russian oligarch. But soon her Cinderella story comes to an end as Vanya abandons her as his family tries to get their marriage annulled.

The film is produced by FilmNation Entertainment and distributed by Neon, Universal Pictures, and Focus Features. Besides Madison, it also stars Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, and Aleksei Serebryakov.

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Sean Baker wins 4 Oscars for Anora

Sean Baker scripted Oscar history by becoming the first person to win four Academy Awards in one night for the same film. He won in the categories of Film Editing, Original Screenplay, Directing, and one for Best Picture.

Earlier, only Walt Disney had won four Oscars in one ceremony, but it was for multiple films. Sean Baker took the opportunity to thank not only his cast and crew but also the s*x worker community during his acceptance speech. During his Best Director speech, he encouraged people to watch films in the cinema and urged parents to give their kids the cinema experience. He said:

“We’re all here tonight and watching this broadcast because we love movies. Where did we fall in love with the movies? At the movie theater.”

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Mikey Madison wins Best Actress Oscar for Anora

Sean Baker was presented the Best Director award by Quentin Tarantino, whom Baker thanked for casting Mikey Madison in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Soon after, Madison was called to collect her award for Best Actress. She was nominated alongside Fernanda Torres, Karla Sofia Gascon, Cynthia Erivo, and Demi Moore.

She also took a moment to thank the s*x worker community during her speech. She said:

"I just want to recognize and honor the sex worker community. Yes. I will continue to support and be an ally. All of the incredible people, the women that I’ve had the privilege of meeting from that community, have been one of the highlights of this incredible experience."

The only disappointment for the Anora crew came when Yura Borisov did not win the Best Actor in a Supporting Role category. Kieran Culkin took home that trophy for A Real Pain.

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What is the film about?

Anora is essentially a story about broken dreams, wrapped up in a humorous package. It follows a short journey of the titular s*x worker who tries to change her life by marrying a rich and spoiled Russian oligarch's heir. However, her dream turns into a nightmare as she is abandoned by her husband, Vanya.

As Anora tries to find Vanya, she is forced to face the reality of her life. However, she shows immense strength and resilience and tackles every situation with courage. The film had earlier received the prestigious Palme d'Or and was a front-runner in the Oscars race. Here's the official synopsis of the film:

"Anora, a young woman from Brooklyn, gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled."

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Stay tuned for more news and updates on Anora and other winners from the 97th Academy Awards.