Anora has won the Academy Award for best original screenplay, with the film’s writer-director Sean Baker taking the honours.
A romance/thriller about a lapdancer who impulsively marries a Russian playboy, Anora stars Mikey Madison and Mark Eydelshteyn. It is Baker’s eighth feature, having made his debut with the microbudget indie Four Letter Words in 2000, and his fourth film since making a breakthrough in 2015 with Tangerine, a drama about trans sex workers shot on iPhones.
The Oscar is Baker’s first of his career; he is also personally up for three other Oscars this year: best picture, best director and best editing. Baker thanked his cast and crew and “the sex worker community”.
He said: “They have shared their stories, their life experience with me over the years. They have my deepest respect. I share this with you.”
Baker had to overcome a strong lineup to take the prize, defeating Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold for The Brutalist, Jesse Eisenberg for A Real Pain and Coralie Fargeat for The Substance. Anora has already picked up a number of awards this season, including the Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival and the best original screenplay prize from the Writers Guild of America.
The 97th Academy Awards are currently taking place in Los Angeles, California.
Read more about the 2025 Oscars:
Anora takes home best picture Oscar
Adrien Brody and Mikey Madison win best acting prizes
Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña win supporting awards
Anora’s Sean Baker wins for directing, editing and screenplay
