“Anora,” the gripping story of a sex worker who takes a chance at a new life by impulsively marrying a wealthy client, was crowned Best Picture at the Academy Awards on Sunday. The film, directed by Sean Baker, also secured Best Director for Baker and Best Actress for its 25-year-old lead, Mikey Madison.
Baker was the frontrunner in the directing category, having already received top honors from the Directors Guild of America, the Producers Guild of America, and the Independent Spirit Awards. During his acceptance speech, Baker championed the importance of independent theaters, emphasizing the unique communal experience of watching films in a cinema.
His filmography includes “Tangerine,” a comedy about a transgender sex worker shot on an iPhone, “The Florida Project,” which explores families living near Walt Disney World, and “Red Rocket,” about a washed-up porn star returning to Texas. “Anora,” dubbed a “bawdy modern fable,” received a total of six nominations, including Best Picture.
Adrien Brody won his second Academy Award, earning Best Actor for his portrayal of Laszlo Toth, a Jewish immigrant and architect chasing the American dream in “The Brutalist.”
The 51-year-old previously won Best Actor for “The Pianist” at age 29, making him the youngest winner in the category at the time. With this win, Brody joins an elite group of multiple Best Actor recipients, including Daniel Day-Lewis, Tom Hanks, Anthony Hopkins, Jack Nicholson, and Spencer Tracy.
Brody has spoken about how his mother, celebrated photographer Sylvia Plachy, fled Hungary for the United States, a journey that resonates with his character in “The Brutalist.” Throughout his career, Brody has worked with renowned directors such as Wes Anderson, Woody Allen, Peter Jackson, Spike Lee, and Steven Soderbergh. His commercial successes include “King Kong” and “Predators,” and his upcoming projects include “Emperor,” a medieval action epic.
Mikey Madison secured her first Academy Award, winning Best Actress for her powerful performance in “Anora.” She portrayed Ani, an exotic dancer who impulsively marries Ivan, the son of a wealthy Russian family, only to face intense opposition from his powerful relatives.
The 25-year-old actress triumphed over nominees Demi Moore (“The Substance”), Fernanda Torres, Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked”), and Karla Sofia Gascon (“Emilia Perez”). Madison had previously won Best Actress honors at the Independent Spirit Awards and the BAFTAs for her role in “Anora.”
Raised in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles, Madison began her acting career at 16 with a role in FX’s “Better Things.” She later appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and starred in “Scream V.”
Zoe Saldana won Best Supporting Actress for her performance as a fixer for a Mexican drug lord in the Spanish-language Netflix musical “Emilia Perez.” Meanwhile, Kieran Culkin, who began acting as a child, earned the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in “A Real Pain,” a film about two cousins traveling to Poland to explore their family’s roots.
The winners were selected by roughly 11,000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, comprising actors, directors, producers, and film professionals. Also nominated in the Best Director category were Brady Corbet (“The Brutalist”), James Mangold (“A Complete Unknown”), Jacques Audiard (“Emilia Perez”), and Coralie Fargeat (“The Substance”).
(Reuters)
