Anora was the biggest winner at the Oscars, taking home five awards including best actress for breakout star Mikey Madison, and a record-breaking four prizes for its director Sean Baker. The whirlwind drama stars relative newcomer Madison as a New York stripper who falls in love with the son of a wealthy Russian.
She held off competition from Demi Moore, and described winning the best actress Oscar as a ‘dream come true.” Baker became the first person to personally win four Academy Awards for a single film- for directing, editing, writing, and producing Anora.
Demi Moore was the favorite for much of this campaign. Things did shift after Madison’s BAFTA win, but the race remained incredibly tight. In the end, it was Madison’s night. It marked an incredible moment for a 25-year-old actress who was relatively unknown before her role in Anora.
This is exactly the type of rags-to-riches story that awards ceremonies love- and the film itself celebrates. In the winners room, the 25-year-old Madison called it ‘surreal’ and a ‘dream come true.’
In her speech, 25-year-old Madison said: “This is very surreal. I grew up in Loas Angeles but Hollywood always felt so far away from me, so to be here standing in this room today is really incredible.
She added: “I want to honor and recognize the sex worker community. I will continue to support and be an ally… the women I’ve had the privilege of meeting from that community has been one of the highlights of this entire incredible experience.”
Despite no US distributor picking up the film, No Other Land won best documentary award. The film was a collaboration between Palestinian and Israeli film-makers about Israeli displacement of a Palestinian community in the occupied West Bank. “We made this film, Palestinians and Israelis, because together, our voices are stronger,” said co-director Yuval Abraham.
In a moment that sent shockwaves across the red carpet, Halle Berry ran up to Adrien Brody and gave him a big kiss. It recreated a moment at the 2003 Academy Awards, when Brody-having just won best actor for his performance in The Pianist- turned and kissed Berry, who had presented the award to him.
Other notable winners on the night included Kieran Culkin, Adrien Brody, and Zoe Saldana, while Flow won best Animated Film and I’m Still Here took home the best International prize.
