Anora filmmaker Sean Baker used his 2025 Oscars speech for best director to advocate for the continued support of theatrical moviegoing.
“We are all here tonight because we love movies. Where did we fall in love with movies? At the movie theater,” said Baker, who won two other awards earlier in the night for best screenplay and best editing. “In a time in which our world can feel very divided, this is more important than ever: It’s a communal experience you simply don’t get at home.”
Appropriately, Baker was presented the award by director and Oscar winner Quentin Tarantino, who owns a couple of Los Angeles’ best known independent theaters: the New Beverly and the Vista.
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“Filmmakers keep making films for the big screen, I know I will,” Baker continued. “Distributors, please focus first and foremost on the theatrical releases of your films. Parents, introduce your children to feature films in movie theaters and you will be molding the next generation of movie lovers and filmmakers. And for all of us, when we can please watch movies in a theater and let’s keep the great tradition of the moviegoing experience alive and well.”
Anora, which tells the story of a sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch, debuted at the Cannes Film Festival and has been an awards frontrunner ever since. Brady Corbet (The Brutalist), James Mangold (A Complete Unknown), Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez) and Coralie Fargeat (The Substance) were also nominated in the best director category.
The 97th Academy Awards were hosted by Conan O’Brien at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. See the star-studded Oscars red carpet 2025 arrivals and the full winners list here.