“Anora” was named the perfect movie of the 12 months by Hollywood’s administrators and producers on Saturday, cementing its new standing because the movie to beat on the upcoming Oscars.
The black comedy from director Sean Baker, about an erotic dancer’s whirlwind romance gone fallacious, picked up the distinguished Directors Guild of America and Producers Guild of America high awards, only a day after capturing the foremost U.S. critics’ prize.
“My imposter syndrome is skyrocketing right now!” mentioned Baker, a 53-year-old indie director, beforehand finest identified in arthouse circles for his empathetic portrayals of life in U.S. subcultures, as he accepted his prize at a swanky Beverly Hills DGA gala.
Baker thanked his producers for being “able to pull off a $6 million film, shot on film, in New York City in 2023 — almost impossible.”
“Anora” received the Cannes movie pageant high prize Palme d’Or again in May, but had extra lately lagged behind different movies together with “Emilia Perez” when it comes to Oscar nominations.
Besides Saturday’s coup, “Anora” additionally received finest image on the Critics Choice Awards on Friday, propelling it as a renewed favourite for the Academy Awards — which can happen on March 2.
Accepting his prize from Christoper Nolan, final 12 months’s DGA winner, Baker joked that campaigning for Hollywood’s seemingly endless awards season had made him really feel like he was “actually doing work” for “the first time.”
“I’ve been able to play — and I feel like the luckiest guy in the world, being able to do the thing I’ve wanted to do since I was five years old,” mentioned Baker.
He additionally thanked his mom for supporting his profession — however the director, whose movies primarily focus on intercourse work and pornography, admitted he was glad she had not seen his newest, considerably graphic venture.
Nineteen of the previous 21 DGA winners have gone on to additionally win the Oscar for finest director that very same 12 months, together with the final two winners — “Oppenheimer” and “Everything Everywhere All At Once.”
The DGA prize for finest film from a first-time filmmaker went to a different Oscar finest image nominee, “Nickel Boys,” from RaMell Ross.
Ross, whose movie about abuses at a Sixties Florida reform faculty for juvenile boys — shot as if from the eyes of its characters — mentioned it was too “rare” to see the Black gaze represented in Hollywood cinema.
Meanwhile throughout city in Los Angeles Saturday, “Anora” additionally received the PGA high prize.
© 2025 AFP