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Anora director dedicates Oscar win to sex workers in emotional acceptance speech

Home> Film & TV> News

Updated 01:54 3 Mar 2025 GMTPublished 01:35 3 Mar 2025 GMT

Anora director dedicates Oscar win to sex workers in emotional acceptance speech

Sean Baker wrote and directed Anora starring Mikey Madison

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck

Anora writer and director Sean Baker stated he's 'sharing' the Oscar for best original screenplay with the sex worker community.

The writer and director - known for his work amplifying voices and experiences of those in the sex industry - took to the stage at the 97th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to accept the award for best original screenplay.

Reflecting on how 'crazy' it all is, Baker went on to thank the Academy, his team alongside the 'of course, incredible, incredible cast' from Mikey Madison to all involved, complimenting them for 'elevating everything' he wrote.

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He continued: "I want to thank the sex worker community - they have shared their stories, they have shared their life experiences with me over the years.

"My deepest respect, thank you, I share this with you."

Baker previously reflected to UNILAD he was slightly taken aback by the 'universal love and support of' the film given its subject matter.

He told UNILAD: "I thought just the subject matter alone would cause the film to be a little more divisive [...] so that's encouraging.

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Anora stars Mikey Madison (Neon)
Anora stars Mikey Madison (Neon)

He continued: "This is my fifth film that covers the subject matter so each time I do it, it's another individual story that shows a different aspect of sex work but hopefully done in a way that allows audiences to connect with the main character - have empathy for the main character. And remove, or hopefully help remove, the unfair stigma [surrounding the adult industry]."

Baker is quick to note the themes 'tackled in the film are really presented to the audience in a way that is left up for interpretation'.

"I think people can apply their own histories to these things, their own politics," he says. "I think that's part of why I wanted to make this film - to spark discussion."

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Anora is also up for Best Picture, star Madison for Best Actor, Yuriy Borisov for Best Supporting Actor and Baker for Best Director.

At the time of writing, the film also just took home the award for Best Editing, with Baker thanking all the cast and crew but 'three individuals' in particular for being the only members allowed in the editing room.


Oscars 2025 results: the nominees and winners announced so far

Best supporting actor

Yura Borisov - Anora

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Kieran Culkin - A Real Pain - WINNER

Edward Norton - A Complete Unknown

Guy Pearce - The Brutalist

Jeremy Strong - The Apprentice

Best animated feature

Flow - WINNER

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Inside Out 2

Memoir of a Snail

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

The Wild Robot

Best costume design

Wicked - WINNER

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Nosferatu

A Complete Unknown

Conclave

Gladiator II

Best original screenplay

Anora - Sean Baker - WINNER

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The Brutalist - Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold

A Real Pain - Jesse Eisenberg

September 5 - Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum, Alex David

The Substance - Coralie Fargeat

Best adapted screenplay

A Complete Unknown - Jay Cocks and James Mangold

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Conclave - Peter Straughan - WINNER

Emilia Pérez - Jacques Audiard

Nickel Boys - RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes

Sing Sing - Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar

Best make-up and hairstyling

A Different Man

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Emilia Pérez

Nosferatu

The Substance - WINNER

Wicked

Best film editing

Anora - WINNER

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The Brutalist

Conclave

Emilia Pérez

Wicked

Best original score

The Brutalist

Conclave

Emilia Pérez

Wicked

The Wild Robot

Best supporting actress

Monica Barbaro - A Complete Unknown

Ariana Grande - Wicked

Felicity Jones - The Brutalist

Isabella Rossellini - Conclave

Zoe Saldaña - Emilia Pérez

Best original song

'Never Too Late' - Elton John: Never Too Late

'El Mal' - Emilia Pérez

'Mi Camino' - Emilia Pérez

'Like A Bird' - Sing Sing

'The Journey' - The Six Triple Eight

Best international feature

I'm Still Here - Brazil

The Girl with the Needle - Denmark

Emilia Pérez - France

The Seed of the Sacred Fig - Germany

Flow - Latvia

Best production design

Wicked

The Brutalist

Dune: Part Two

Nosferatu

Conclave

Best sound

A Complete Unknown

Dune: Part Two

Emilia Pérez

Wicked

The Wild Robot

Best visual effects

Alien: Romulus

Better Man

Dune: Part Two

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Wicked

Best cinematography

The Brutalist

Dune: Part Two

Emilia Pérez

Maria

Nosferatu

Best actor

Adrien Brody - The Brutalist

Timothée Chalamet - A Complete Unknown

Colman Domingo - Sing Sing

Ralph Fiennes - Conclave

Sebastian Stan - The Apprentice

Best director

Jacques Audiard - Emilia Pérez

Sean Baker - Anora

Brady Corbet - The Brutalist

Coralie Fargeat - The Substance

James Mangold - A Complete Unknown

Best actress

Cynthia Erivo - Wicked

Karla Sofía Gascón - Emilia Pérez

Mikey Madison - Anora

Demi Moore - The Substance

Fernanda Torres - I'm Still Here

Best picture

Anora

The Brutalist

A Complete Unknown

Conclave

Dune: Part Two

Emilia Pérez

I'm Still Here

Nickel Boys

The Substance

Wicked

Featured Image Credit: ABC
Poppy Bilderbeck
Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.

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