Anora took the top prize at the 97th Academy Awards. Sean Baker won a record breaking four awards for a single film as one of the producers (with Samantha Quan and Alex Coco) for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Editing. This film’s trip to the Oscars was a winding road. It first took the Palme d’Or at Cannes, then had a whirlwind run through the fall festivals as other frontrunners emerged, but in the end, the best picture of 2024 won best picture.
It’s an indie film at its core, one that no executive at any major studio would ever greenlight. Baker spent his career in the trenches of low-budget films with an unwavering vision to present films that spotlight marginalized people while never pandering or preaching. At once, it is a modern film with adult themes and its subject matter juxtaposed with Lubitschian comedy that hearkens back to the early days of Hollywood.
Baker is also a huge supporter of other filmmakers; observing his trip through awards season, he is humble and congratulates his peers and collaborators. Most importantly, he stands for something: preserving the use of film instead of only digital, theatrical releases instead of direct-to-streaming, and a lifelong dedication to independent film – all matters close to my heart. Immersive spoke to several of Baker’s collaborators: Annie Johnson and Jocelyn Pierce, Andy Hay and John Warrin, Stephen Phelps, and Drew Daniels.
Adrian Brody won Best Actor for The Brutalist (and excellent performance), his second, 22 years after he became the youngest to win the award. Mikey Madison won Best Actress for Anora, a star making role for the young actress – she has a bright career ahead of her. There were many fine films this past year, and the true feat is yet to come, which is the test of time. How many of these films will we remember 10-20 years later? Only time will tell. I have been talking about Anora, Flow, and The Girl With The Needle since I saw them last year. The future is bright for film and I look forward to what 2025 has to offer. A special congrats to the filmmakers who spoke with Immersive that won last night: Gints Zilbalodis (Flow), Peter Straughan (Conclave), Lol Crawley (The Brutalist), and Pierre-Olivier Persin (The Substance).
Here’s the full list of Winners…
Actor in a Leading Role
Adrien Brody
(The Brutalist)
Actor in a Supporting Role
Kieran Culkin
(A Real Pain)
Actress in a Leading Role
Mikey Madison
(Anora)
Actress in a Supporting Role
Zoe Saldaña
(Emilia Pérez)
Animated Feature Film
Flow
Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens and Gregory Zalcman
Animated Short Film
In the Shadow of the Cypress
Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi
Cinematography
The Brutalist
Lol Crawley
Costume Design
Wicked
Paul Tazewell
Directing
Anora
Sean Baker
Documentary Feature Film
No Other Land
Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal and Yuval Abraham
Documentary Short Film
The Only Girl in the Orchestra
Molly O’Brien and Lisa Remington
Film Editing
Anora
Sean Baker
International Feature Film
Brazil
I’m Still Here
Makeup and Hairstyling
The Substance
Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli
Music (Original Score)
The Brutalist
Daniel Blumberg
Music (Original Song)
El Mal
from Emilia Pérez; Music by Clément Ducol and Camille; Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard
Best Picture
Anora
Alex Coco, Samantha Quan and Sean Baker, Producers
Production Design
Wicked
Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
Live Action Short Film
I’m Not a Robot
Victoria Warmerdam and Trent
Sound
Dune: Part Two
Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill
Visual Effects
Dune: Part Two
Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Conclave
Screenplay by Peter Straughan
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Anora
Written by Sean Baker
The Academy Awards Will Return in 2026.
