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Recent Oscar winners Kieran Culkin and Mikey Madison, along with nominees Ariana Grande, Fernanda Torres, Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong, are among the 534 distinguished artists and executives invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

These individuals have been recognized for their exceptional contributions to the art and science of filmmaking, representing a diverse spectrum of talent, perspectives and geographic backgrounds.

If all invitees accept, the Academy’s total membership will rise to 11,120, including 10,143 voting members. Invitees hail from 60 countries and territories outside the United States, contributing to the Academy’s increasing international profile.

“We are thrilled to welcome this esteemed class of artists, technologists and professionals into the Academy,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang in a joint statement. “This year’s class embodies the diversity and global breadth of today’s film community, and their inclusion will continue to enrich the Academy’s mission and work.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has extended invitations to join the organization to a new class of filmmakers. Over 500 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to motion pictures are now welcome to join one of the Academy’s 19 branches.

“We are thrilled to invite this esteemed class of artists, technologists, and professionals to join the Academy,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang via statement. “Through their commitment to filmmaking and to the greater movie industry, these exceptionally talented individuals have made indelible contributions to our global filmmaking community.”

The list of new invitees includes several of the cast and crew of “Anora,” including Best Actress winner Mikey Madison, Best Picture winners Alex Coco and Samantha Quan, and Best Supporting Actor nominee Yura Borisov. Other 2025 Oscar winners like “A Real Pain” star Kieran Culkin, “No Other Land” directors Yuval Abraham,...

In the past 10 years or so, intimacy coordinators have become a go-to role in film sets where love scenes are being filmed. The urgency of having them on set greatly increased in the wake of the #MeToo movement that rocked Hollywood in late 2017. But some who’ve been working in the industry for quite some time have been skeptical of their utility. Sean Bean, for one, said that he thought intimacy coordinators ruined the “spontaneity” and “chemistry” between actors.

Now Richard Gere has joined their ranks. In an interview with The Wrap about the Paramount+ spy series “The Agency,” Gere spoke alongside his fellow actors on the show Michael Fassbender, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Jeffrey Wright. Fassbender and Turner-Smith play lovers, and both actors strongly endorsed the role of their intimacy coordinator on set.

Fassbender said, “A lot of the time, directors won’t say what they want you to do...

This week on “Screen Talk,” we take you behind the scenes of the goings-on at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival on the French Riviera, where we recorded on Day Two. Politics dominated the first press conferences with director Thierry Frémaux and the nine-member jury led by Juliette Binoche. They turned up for opening night as well, where Leonardo DiCaprio presented an honorary Palme d’Or to Robert De Niro, and Quentin Tarantino bounded onto the stage to declare the festival open. The opening night film “Leave One Day,” from French rookie Amélie Bonnin, a strictly local jukebox musical with the actors singing French pop hits of the ’80s, will not travel.

Later that night, DiCaprio attended the gala dinner with De Niro at the Palm Beach, where Anne enjoyed talking with “Anora” Oscar-winners Sean Baker and Samantha Quan, the hilarious Michael Covino (“Splitsville”), Amazon’s Scott Foundas, Michael Barker...

Eva Longoria Eva Longoria (Credit: Jb Lacroix/FilmMagic) Eva Longoria (Credit: Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images) Heidi Klum Heidi Klum (Credit: Jb Lacroix/FilmMagic) Heidi Klum (Credit: by Monica Schipper/Getty Images) Julia Garner Julia Garner (Credit: by Mike Marsland/WireImage) Erin Kellyman Erin Kellyman (Credit: Daniele Venturelli/WireImage) Sean Baker & Samantha Quan Sean Baker and Samantha Quan (Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) Halle Berry Halle Berry (Credit: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images) Halle Berry & Hong Sang-Soo Jury Member Halle Berry and Jury Member Hong Sang-soo ( Credit: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images) Jury Members Carlos Reygadas, Payal Kapadia, Dieudo Hamadi, Jeremy Strong, Juliette Binoche, Alba Rohrwacher, Leïla Slimani, Halle Berry and Hong Sang-soo attend the red carpet for the opening ceremony and “Partir Un Jour” (Leave One Day) screening at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 13, 2025 in Cannes, France. (Credit: Tristan Fewings...

Once upon a time in Cannes … Quentin Tarantino had a night to remember.

The Oscar winning auteur turned up at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday night to attend the opening ceremony at the Grand Lumiére Theatre where he had official duties to proclaim the start of the 12-day event. “It’s my honor to declare the 78th festival open!” Tarantino shouted into the microphone.

With that, his only job was done. To put an exclamation point on what had been a politically-charged program — Robert De Niro accepted an honorary Palme d’Or from Leonardo DiCaprio, blasted President Donald Trump and delivered a call to action for artists in the room (“We have to act, and we have to act now,” he said) — Tarantino literally dropped his mic on the stage.

It seemed to be a fitting end for his enthusiastic proclamation as well as his night at the Palais...

The Gold Gala, the annual ceremony honoring Asian Pacific entertainment and cultural tastemakers, returned to downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night.

The dinner gala brought several high-profile guests to the Music Center’s Jerry Moss Plaza on a warm evening for food (from James Beard Award-winning chef Lord Maynard Llera paired with bespoke Hennessy cocktails), performances (including one from honoree Laufey) and community.

Actor Daniel Dae Kim kicked off the night with a short introduction, highlighting the evening’s main peg: Gold House’s A100 list, which celebrates the year’s most culturally impactful Asian Pacific tastemakers across various industries. Director Jon M. Chu was the first honoree of the night, presented with the A1 in Entertainment Award by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Janet Yang, actor Harry Shum Jr. and performer Hayley Kiyoko.

“There are filmmakers who make movies and then there are filmmakers who make art.

The Producers Guild of America has unveiled the first round of speakers for the 2025 Produced By Conference, held May 31 at the Universal Studios Lot in Los Angeles. The Produced By Conference, which features sessions with top producers across film, TV, and emerging media, will also feature sessions dedicated to AI “from a producer’s perspective.”

“This year’s Produced By Conference will ignite meaningful dialogue around some of the most relevant and complex topics that affect our industry and the future of our profession,” said PGA presidents Stephanie Allain and Donald De Line. Confirmed speakers to date include: Blumhouse President Abhijay Prakash, “The Brutalist” producer Andrew Morrison, Asteria co-founder/CEO Bryn Mooser, Promise co-founder/CEO George Strompolos and industry advisor Barbara Ford Grant.

Other producers set to speak include Carolyn Strauss and Carter Swan (“The Last of Us”), Christine D’Souza Gelb (“Babygirl”), David W. Zucker (“Dope Thief”), Erik Oleson (“The Bondsman...

Updated with first confirmed speakers: Oscar winner Samantha Quan (Anora), Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham (Adolescence), Carolyn Strauss and Carter Swan (The Last of Us), Hwang Dong-hyuk (Squid Game), Stephanie Allain (Hustle & Flow) and Abhijay Prakash (Blumhouse) are among the first round of speakers confirmed for the 2025 Produced By Conference.

The annual panel and networking confab organized by the Producers Guild of America is set to take place May 31 on the Universal Studios lot in Universal City.

The daylong event features discussions with producers around buzzy films and TV series and topics, combining networking with inside looks at the critical role of producers in the industry. Organizers say this year will include the return of the annual “The State of Producing” session as well as sessions dedicated to AI from a producer’s perspective.

Last year’s edition on the Fox lot featured participants like Howard Gordon, Michael Thorn and...

Stars: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Darya Ekamasova, Yura Borisov, Paul Weissman, Lindsey Normington, Emily Weider, Luna Sofía Miranda, Vincent Radwinsky, Brittney Rodriguez, Sophia Carnabuci | Written and Directed by Sean Baker

Since releasing his first feature in 2000, writer/director Sean Baker has built himself a name as an exciting voice in independent cinema. As his works have gotten more attention, from Tangerine being shot on multiple iPhones, to Willem Dafoe’s Oscar nomination for The Florida Project, Baker has grown in stature as a director. This leads us to Anora, the writer/director’s eighth feature which won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes festival, and manages to be another exemplary piece of cinema from the creative.

British viewers may find themselves surprised in this film’s opening moments, as a remix of Take That’s ‘Greatest Day’ plays while a line of exotic dancers perform for paying customers.

The 2026 Critics Choice Awards have found their date and now will be leading off awards season’s nationally television shows.

The Critics Choice Association (Cca) announced today that the 31st annual Critics Choice Awards will take place on Sunday, January 4, 2026. Returning to E! for the second year in a row, the telecast will also air live across USA Network from 7:00-10:00 p.m. Et/Pt. The show will once again be held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica and will continue its combined film and television awards format, honoring the best in cinematic, televised, and streaming achievement.

Earlier this week the Golden Globes announced they would be moving to the second Sunday in January on the 11th, a bit of a surprise since they have traditionally gone first on the first weekend of the new year. Sources say Critics Choice had been planning for their ceremony to...

Anora, Spine #1259, will release in the Criterion Collection on April 29th, 2025.

Mikey Madison is a star, delivering a mesmerizing performance in the titular role of Sean Baker’s Oscar winning film. The role of Ani is a complicated and layered one that allows Madison to showcase the full extent of her acting abilities. Sean Baker — acting as the director, writer and editor — delivers his most compelling and finely crafted film to date. Anora is — in my opinion — the best film of 2024, and it is an absolute gift to have this gorgeous new edition join the Criterion Collection.

Anora plot

Anora (Mikey Madison) — or “Ani” as she likes to be called — is an exotic dancer and sex worker. She spends her nights buttering up clients and enticing them to spend their cash on her in the club’s VIP section. One of those clients winds up being Ivan, a wealthy young...

Mikey Madison has passed on joining Ryan Gosling in an untitled “Star Wars” movie, according to an insider with knowledge of the project. Madison was previously being eyed to star and an offer was made.

Madison recently won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in “Anora.”

“Deadpool & Wolverine” filmmaker Shawn Levy is set to direct. “The Adam Project” writer Jonathan Tropper wrote the script.

Levy has been attached to the project since 2022 and additional details about the film are being kept under wraps. Tropper and Levy have previously collaborated on the 2014 family drama “This Is Where I Leave You,” as well as on the script for the Mark Raso-directed Netflix film “Kodachrome,” which Levy produced.

Previously, “Anora” writer-director Sean Baker’s interest in Madison was piqued by a role in the fifth installment of “Scream,” a 2022 film in which she (spoiler!) ends up killing David Arquette’s sheriff character.

Mikey Madison has experienced a meteoric rise to superstardom thanks to her Academy Award-winning performance in Sean Baker's romantic dramedy Anora, in which the talented leading lady beautifully portrayed the titular New York stripper who experiences a whirlwind love affair with the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch. Not only did the acclaimed picture take home five golden statuettes, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Madison, but it also became Baker's highest-grossing film of his blossoming career thus far.

Though it may seem as though Madison came out of nowhere when she took audiences by storm with her career-defining performance, the actress had actually been hustling in Hollywood for years before headlining the captivating indie hit. In fact, Baker first became a fan of the actress when she appeared in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, though it was her diabolical role as Amber Freeman...

Amber Midthunder (“Novocaine”) and civil rights leader and trans and health activist Cecilia Chung are among those set to be honored by Cape (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) at the third annual Radiance Gala.

Emmy Award-winning editor Aika Miyake (“Shōgun”), actor Maia Kealoha (“Lilo & Stitch”), actor-comedian-writer Zarna Garg (“A Nice Indian Boy”), Daria Overby (executive director of creative diversity and inclusion for Starz) and Oscar-winning producer Samantha Quan (“Anora”) will also be honored.

In addition, Core (Community Organized Relief Effort) co-founder and CEO Ann Lee will be recognized for her work in providing community-centered wildfire relief to affected Los Angeles communities.

As previously mentioned, actor and comedian Kiran Deol is hosting, and Luna Li will be the gala’s musical guest.

The Radiance Gala honors Asian and Pacific Islander women and non-binary artists, cultural creators, and decision-making power brokers. The celebration will honor the incredible talent advancing Asian and...

Sean Baker’s latest film Anora claimed a good chunk of the awards at the 97th annual Oscars. Baker himself won for editing and directing, and star Mikey Madison who plays the titular character, won best actress for her performance in the film.

The independent feature film premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, and it gained awards momentum as the season went on.

For all the details on how to watch Anora, read on.

Is Anora streaming? Where to watch:

Anora will arrive on Hulu March 17. The film is also available to rent on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Microsoft TV, Plex, Spectrum TV and more.

What is Anora about?

In Sean Baker’s original film, Anora, who is employed as a sex worker at HQ in Brooklyn, gets caught up in a whirlwind romance with a young Russian man named Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn) who impusively proposes marriage to...

Just before midnight, two of the Oscars’ biggest winners, Mikey Madison and Adrien Brody, descended on the Vanity Fair party, one of the starriest shindigs of Hollywood’s longest — and biggest — day of the year at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.

Brody is swarmed by photographers when he strides into the main party space with his partner, fashion designer Georgina Chapman, grinning on his arm and his Oscar statue in hand. The actor’s parents, Sylvia Plachy and Elliot Brody, are a step behind.

Every few feet, “The Brutalist” star gets stopped by one A-lister after another offering their congratulations: There’s Oscars host Conan O’Brien, who has been fielding kudos of his own for a job well done as first-time emcee. Next, Brody says hello to Queen Latifah, who performed the tribute to Quincy Jones during the show. Then, Vin Diesel stops Brody for a handshake and,...

On Sunday night in Los Angeles, the comedy-drama Anora won the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film’s director, Sean Baker and co-producers Samantha Quan and Alex Coco accepted the award during the 97th Academy Awards.

“To all of the dreamers and young filmmakers out there, tell the stories you want to tell,” Quan said onstage after she, Baker and Coco accepted the award. “Tell the stories that move you. I promise you, you will never regret it.”

“I want to thank the Academy for recognizing a truly independent film,” the director shared. “This film was made on the blood, sweat and tears of incredible indie artists.”

Anora, a film about an exotic dancer marrying the wealthy son of a Russian oligarch, won five out of the six categories for which it was nominated, including Best Picture.

Baker also won the Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing categories.

Awards season came to end with Hollywood’s biggest night on Sunday: the Oscars. And as always, there were some pretty great acceptance speeches.

The night really belonged to Sean Baker’s “Anora,” which took home five awards in total, including Best Picture and Best Actress. Of course, the Oscars is a long show, clocking in this year at roughly three and a half hours. So, if you’re just looking for the best speeches of the night, we’ve rounded them up for you ranked by total number of views on YouTube so far.

Here are the most-watched acceptances of the 2025 Oscars, ranked by total views.

1. Kieran Culkin (Best Supporting Actor)

Kieran Culkin was one of the earliest winners of the night, taking home his first Oscar ever. The actor earned the statue for Best Supporting Actor, for his performance in Jesse Eisenberg’s comedy-drama “A Real Pain,” in...

The 97th Academy Awards ceremony, held on March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, delivered a night of historic achievements and emotional acceptance speeches. Comedian Conan O’Brien hosted the prestigious event, which was televised on ABC and streamed on Hulu for the first time.

Conan O’Brien | Credits: Instagram @teamcoco

The night belonged to Sean Baker’s independent film Anora, which swept five major categories, including Best Picture. Baker made Oscar history by becoming the first person to win four Oscars in the same year for the same film, tying Walt Disney’s record for most wins in a single night.

Emilia Pérez led the nominations with 13, followed by The Brutalist and Wicked with 10 each, with all three films taking home multiple awards in a ceremony that celebrated both independent and international cinema.

Best Picture Winner: Anora Mark Eydelshteyn and Mikey Madison in Anora (2024) | Credits: Neon, United International Pictures, Le Pacte,...

That 3.9 earthquake that hit Southern California just as the celebrations were in full swing proved Anora’s sweeping five victories at the 97th Academy Awards could literally shake things up in Hollywood. And, by the way, nobody seemed to feel a thing — at least not on the Oscar parties circuit, where a little rocking and rolling seemed entirely appropriate.

The message from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Sunday night was simple: We really, really liked Anora.

Related: All The Best Picture Oscar Winners – Photo Gallery

Adrien Brody, Mikey Madison, Zoe Saldaña and Kieran Culkin

No doubt this was a stellar night for independent filmmaking with Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay and Film Editing awards for the $6 million Anora’s Sean Baker, plus a bonus Best Actress prize for Mikey Madison. Then three wins for the $10 million The Brutalist, including Best Actor for Adrien Brody and even...

One of the wilder Oscar seasons in recent memory — one jolted, to an unknowable extent, by wildfires that devastated Los Angeles in early January, followed by a massive post-nominations scandal that imploded a top contender in late January — came to an end on Sunday night with Neon’s Anora, a $6 million indie about a Brighton Beach sex worker who gets abducted by Russians, winning a field-leading five Oscars: best picture (Sean Baker, Alex Coco and Samantha Quan), director (Baker), actress (Mikey Madison), original screenplay (Baker) and film editing (Baker).

How did this happen?

Anora’s journey began at May’s Cannes Film Festival, where the main competition jury, presided over by Greta Gerwig, awarded the dramedy that fest’s highest honor, the Palme d’Or. The Palme is not always a guarantee of Oscar success — indeed, only two prior films, 1955’s Marty and 2019’s Neon-distributed Parasite, had ever won the...

Sean Baker became the first filmmaker to win four Academy Awards for the same movie, achieving victories in directing, producing, writing, and editing for Anora. No director before him had accomplished this in a single night, placing him in a category all his own at the 97th Academy Awards.

Previous filmmakers had come close but fell short of reaching the four-award mark for one film. Francis Ford Coppola won three Oscars in 1974 for The Godfather: Part II, while Alfonso Cuarón and Chloé Zhao each took home two for Roma and Nomadland, respectively. Bong Joon-ho claimed four trophies for Parasite in 2020, but one was awarded to South Korea rather than him directly. Walt Disney won four Oscars in 1954, though for separate projects.

Baker’s success with Anora reflected a broader trend in the Academy recognizing independent filmmakers who take on multiple roles in their projects. Jacques Audiard, the director of Emilia Pérez,...

The 2025 Oscars, Hollywood’s biggest night, didn’t hold back on delivering plenty of emotional, laughable and awkward moments. From Anora owning the night with five wins to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s show-stopping performance to host Conan O’Brien mocking the Emilia Pérez scandal, here are some of Sunday night’s most unforgettable moments.

Anora Owns the Night With Five Wins Darya Ekamasova, Lindsey Normington, Vache Tovmasyan, Karren Karagulian, Alex Coco, Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Samantha Quan, Luna Sofía Miranda, Sean Baker, Drew Daniels and Yura Borisov during Anora‘s best picture win.

Anora steamrolled through the night, with Sean Baker‘s indie upstart winning five Oscars, including best picture and director, and star Mikey Madison staging an upset for best actress. “It’s a dream come true. I’m probably going to wake up tomorrow,” Madison said when accepting the prize. Many of the people involved with the...

“Anora’s” Sean Baker urged the Hollywood community to invest in theatrical releases and support movie theaters, especially those that are independently run, during a passionate speech following his Best Director Oscar win at the 97th annual Academy Awards on Sunday.

Baker opened his acceptance speech by thanking Quentin Tarantino, who presented him with the Best Director statuette, for casting Mikey Madison in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” He credited her role in that film to her casting in “Anora,” which was made for $6 million.

Baker, who has exclusively made indie films throughout his career, called on the industry to put support behind the communal experience of going to the theaters.

“We’re all here tonight and watching this broadcast because we love movies. Where did we fall in love with the movies? At the movie theater watching a film,” he said. “Watching a film in a theater with an audience is an experience.

Conan O’Brien hosts the live ABC telecast of the 97th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2, 2025.

The independent film made for $6 million won the top prize at the 97th Academy Awards. Winning five Oscars, Anora took home the gold for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay.

The 97th Oscars opened with a “We Love LA” movie montage followed by “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” sung by Ariana Grande and “Home” sung By Cynthia Erivo. The standing ovation was then met by the duo singing Wicked’s “Defying Gravity”. A true show-stopping opener to the 97th Academy Awards concluded with thunderous applause from the audience in the Dolby Theatre, as well as an eruption in the pressroom.

Host Conan O’Brien welcomed everyone to the telecast and Hollywood’s Biggest Night “at 4pm in the afternoon and let’s do this thing!

Anora steamrolled through the 2025 Oscars on Sunday, with Sean Baker’s indie upstart winning five Oscars, including best picture and director, and star Mikey Madison staging an upset for best actress.

“It’s a dream come true. I’m probably going to wake up tomorrow,” Madison said when accepting her prize.

Many of the people involved with the film no doubt felt the same.

Beginning life as an outsider production backed by the New York-based FilmNation before being acquired by Neon, the class commentary took the Palme d’Or at May’s Cannes Film Festival, endured a whole bunch of lulls throughout the season and then emerged Sunday as one of the most dominant Oscar winners in recent memory.

Baker won for producing, directing, writing and editing his action-tinged black comedy about the relationship between a stripper and a Russian oligarch’s son. Baker’s capturing of four Oscars for...

Anora topped the 2025 Oscars, with its best picture win capping the Cinderella story of a $6 million indie that steamrolled the ceremony.

Filmmaker Sean Baker said from the podium that it was “a truly independent film” that was “made on the blood, sweat and tears of brilliant indie artists.”

The win was a resounding validation of Baker’s methods. The auteur is known for working outside the system, keeping budgets low in exchange for absolute creative control. Baker focuses characters on the edges of society in films such as Tangerine (shot in for a shoestring budget on an iPhone), The Florida Project (about a single mom living in a hotel) and Red Rocket (about a burnt out porn actor). Now, he has accomplished what no one before him has in Oscars history by winning four statues for a single film (best picture as a producer, director, original screenplay and editing).

It...

For the second consecutive year, the Best Picture Oscar has been all in the family.

Husband and wife Sean Baker and Samantha Quan have earned statuettes for producing the comedy-drama “Anora,” one year after spouses Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas won the same award for “Oppenheimer.”

Baker and Quan, who shared the award with producer Alex Coco, are the fourth — or fifth, technically; see the “Lord of the Rings” team below — romantic partners to score the Oscar’s most coveted prize.

Julia Phillips was the first female producer to ever win Best Picture, 51 years ago, for the 1973 mystery drama “The Sting,” which she produced alongside Tony Bill and her then-husband Michael Phillips. They divorced the same year as their Oscar win, but continued to work together, producing “Taxi Driver” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”

Phillips wrote the brutal, blistering and best-selling memoir “You’ll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again,...

Hit the Atm? How about hitting the jackpot? “Anora” has won the Oscar for Best Picture at the 2025 Academy Awards, capping off a remarkable awards season run that began with the Sean Baker film starring Mikey Madison winning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival last May. It’s only the fourth film ever to win Best Picture at the Oscars after winning the Palme, following “The Lost Weekend,” “Marty,” and “Parasite.” And IndieWire has celebrated “Anora” since it premiered at Cannes, through our Future of Filmmaking Summit, where Baker was our keynote speaker, to Oscar night itself.

“Anora” finished the night with five Oscar wins: Best Picture, Best Actress Mikey Madison, Best Editing, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director. Of these, Baker personally won four, as the film’s director, producer, editor, and screenwriter.

Producer Alex Coco said when accepting his Best Picture Oscar, “If you’re trying to make independent films,...

It was a night of firsts at the 2025 Oscars, with some winners making history and various records being set.

After emceeing the Emmys twice, Conan O'Brien served as the Oscars host for the first time, and he noted several of the historic moments while on the big stage.

By winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Emilia Pérez, Zoe Saldaña became the first American of Dominican descent to prevail. "I am floored by this honor," she stated at the podium. "My grandmother came to this country in 1961. I am a proud child of immigrant parents, with dreams and dignity and hard-working hands. I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award, and I know I will not be the last. I hope!" Saldaña was the frontrunner all season long, having already dominated all of the precursor awards on her road to the Oscars.

Costume designer Paul Tazewell...

Anora writer and director Sean Baker advocated for independent filmmaking during his final speech at the 97th Academy Awards, when his film won the top prize.

“We made this movie for $6 million shooting on location in New York City with about 40 crew members. They’re all back in New York. This is for you guys,” he said. “If you’re trying to make independent films, please keep doing it. We need more. This is proof.”

Producer Samantha Quan added to Baker’s sentiment with a message to aspiring filmmakers: “We made this with very little money, but all of our hearts. To all of the dreamers and the young filmmakers, tell the stories you want to tell. Tell the story that move you. I promise you, you will never regret it.”

Anora was nominated for Best Picture alongside The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, I’m Still Here,...

As the opening Take That needle drop in “Anora” says, this could be the greatest day for Sean Baker. The filmmaker accepted the Oscar for best director at Sunday’s ceremony, taking home the prize for helming the wild indie success. The award was presented to Baker by Quentin Tarantino.

Accepting the award, his third during the evening, Baker made a “battle cry” for movie theaters, telling filmmakers to “keep making films for the big screen. I know I will.”

“We’re all here tonight and watching this broadcast because we love movies. Where did we fall in love with the movies? At the movie theater,” Baker said. “Watching a film in the theater with an audience is an experience. We can laugh together, cry together, and, in a time in which the world can feel very divided, this is more important than ever. It’s a communal experience you don’t get at home.

Sean Baker, the writer/director of “Anora” who is up for four Oscars for his awards season favorite, has won the Best Director Academy Award. Baker was also nominated in the Best Editing and Best Original Screenplay categories for his story of sex worker Ani (Mikey Madison) and her hectic odyssey with a Russian heir (Mark Eydelshteyn), who promises marriage and riches but then brings chaos into her life. He could win Best Picture, too, as he is a co-producer on the film along with Alex Coco and his partner Samantha Quan.

Baker tonight already won Best Editing and Best Screenplay. Winning Best Director from presenter Quentin Tarantino, Baker set down his Oscar and said, “We are all here tonight and watching this broadcast because we love movies. Where did we fall in love with the movies? At the movie theater. Watching a film in the theater with an audience is an experience…...

Sean Baker won Best Director at the Oscars for Anora on Sunday night, one of four individual awards Baker won during the historic evening.

Baker topped Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez), Brady Corbet (The Brutalist), Coralie Fargeat (The Substance), and James Mangold (A Complete Unknown) for the win. He also won Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing and shared the Anora Best Picture win with producers Samantha Quan and Alex Coco.

During his speech, Baker advocated for the theatrical experience and implored audiences and studios to support movie theaters and theatrical releases, especially independently run theaters that are currently at greatest risk of shuttering.

“We are all here tonight because we love movies. Where did we fall in love with movies? At the movie theater,” said Baker. “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.

The script that brought audiences some of their favorite lines from last year — “I shared my playlist with him and he was very dismissive!” — has finally won Best Original Screenplay at the 2025 Oscars.

Also nominated for Best Picture, Sean Baker’s dark fairytale stars Mikey Madison as a New York stripper who gets suddenly swept off her feet by the son of a Russian oligarch, played by Mark Eydelshteyn. “Anora” was favored by IndieWire’s Awards Editor Marcus Jones in his predictions for the category after it took home top honors at the WGA Awards in February. The low-budget triumph was distributed by Neon and made its world premiere at Cannes last May, where it won the Palme d’Or.

“I want to thank the sex work community,” Baker said in his acceptance speech, echoing his very first remarks on the film from its debut in France last May. “They have shared their stories.

Anora has won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, with writer-director Sean Baker taking home the statuette. The win is Baker’s first at the Academy Awards, where he’s personally scored his first set of four nominations this year, from the film’s set of six.

In his acceptance speech, Baker said, “I want to thank the sex worker community. They have shared their stories. They have shared their life experience with me over the years. My deepest respect. Thank you — I share this with you.”

Baker also thanked Neon, FilmNation, Focus Features/Universal Pictures, Le Pacte, his “incredible cast,” who “elevated everything I wrote and made me look very good,” and finally, his fellow producers on the project, Samantha Quan and Alex Coco.

For Baker, Anora is just the latest film to spotlight the sex worker community. An interest in authentically examining the lives of underrepresented individuals has...

The red carpet has kicked off at the 2025 Oscars and we’ll be keeping track of all the red carpet photos right here!

Stars will be stepping out for the annual awards show on Sunday (March 2) at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

We’ll be updating this post all night long to give you easy access to see the event’s full guest list and every celebrity on the red carpet.

The Oscars will be hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien for the first time and the show is airing live on ABC and Hulu. The movie Emilia Perez leads the nominations with 13 nods, followed by The Brutalist and Wicked with 10 each. Make sure to check out the full list of nominations and find out who is performing during the show!

Head inside to see all of the stars on the red carpet…

Keep scrolling to see all of the attendees at the Oscars…...

Cynthia Erivo and Monica Barbaro are being celebrated!

The two Oscar-nominated actress stepped out for Women in Film’s 2025 Oscar Nominees Celebration on Friday evening (February 28) held at Wheelhouse in West Hollywood, Calif.

If you didn’t know, Cynthia, 38, is nominated for Best Actress for Wicked while Monica, 34, is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for A Complete Unknown.

Fellow Oscar nominees included songwriter Diane Warren, The Substance director Coralie Fargeat, The Brutalist screenwriter Mona Fastvold, and Anora producer Samantha Quan.

Storm Reid, Dove Cameron, Jurnee Smollett, Jane Seymour and boyfriend John Zambetti, Lilly Singh, Victoria Justice, and Karen Pittman were also at the event.

The 2025 Oscars will be taking place on Sunday, March 2 with host Conan O’Brien. Make sure to check out the full list of nominations!

Fyi: Cynthia is wearing a Jacquemus dress. Jurnee is wearing a Schiaparelli dress. Storm is wearing Versace.

Click through the gallery inside for...

And now for the final word on who will win the gold Sunday at the 97th Oscars.

Since Cannes in May I have been reviewing the movies, assessing their awards potential, predicting the Oscar nominations, and now finally here is my best and Final guess as to who and what will emerge triumphant in all 23 categories for the 2025 Academy Awards. So much has been written, so much has been talked about, and actually overall for me it has been a swell year for movies, at least good ones, or at the very least enough good ones to make this lineup of nominees for Oscars a deserving one.

Let me caution these are my predictions, some still shaky, but not necessarily what I might have voted for. In other words, this is not a wish list but rather a reflection of where the long and ever-unwinding road stood as Oscar balloting ended on February 18 at 5 p.

The stars are stepping out ahead of the 2025 Academy Awards!

Ariana Grande, Timothee Chalamet, Cynthia Erivo, and Demi Moore joined tons of the stars at the 2025 Oscars Nominees Dinner on Tuesday evening (February 25) held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.

The Academy hosts an annual event celebrating all of the stars that are nominated at the year’s big ceremony.

We have now compiled photos of all the stars in attendance so that you can see what they wore.

The 2025 Oscars will be taking place on Sunday, March 2 in Los Angeles hosted by Conan O’Brien. Check out the full list of nominations here!

Keep reading to find out more…Keep scrolling to see the stars on the red carpet…

Adrien Brody

Andrew Watt

Ariana Grande

Fyi: Ariana is wearing a vintage Yves Saint Laurent dress.

Bernie Taupin

Brandi Carlile

Colman Domingo

Coralie Fargeat

Cynthia Erivo

Fyi:...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored its 2025 Oscar nominees Tuesday night with a dinner at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.

The event was used to finally get the 97th Oscars nominees class photo, which traditionally is snapped during the AMPAS Oscars Nominees Luncheon, a rare moment when nominees are able to be in one place during the always hectic awards season.

Check out this year’s photo, shot inside the museum’s David Geffen Theater, above and below.

Deadline’s Pete Hammond was in the room as the group assembled, with Team Wicked (Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande) together in the front row and acting nominees Adrien Brody, Colman Domingo and Sebastian Stan sitting together in center back. Timothée Chalamet was on the far left, a row behind Anora‘s Sean Baker and Samantha Quan and two in front of Ralph Fiennes.

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Mikey Madison as Ani and Mark Eydelshteyn as Ivan in ‘Anora’ (Courtesy of Neon)

Anora continues to pick up speed heading into the Oscars, scoring Critics Choice Awards and DGA wins and snagging a Best Feature win at the Film Independent Spirit Awards. Anora also captured Best Director (Sean Baker) and Best Lead Performance (Mikey Madison) wins. A Real Pain and Didi each earned two awards during the February 22, 2025 Spirit Awards ceremony hosted by Aidy Bryant.

On the television side, Baby Reindeer dominated with three wins. The critically acclaimed limited series took home the Best Lead Performance (Richard Gadd), Best Supporting Performance (Nava Mau), and Best Breakthrough Performance (Jessica Gunning) wins. Other television winners included Shogun and How to Die Alone.

2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominees and Winners

Best Feature

Winner: Anora

Producers: Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan

I Saw the TV Glow

Producers: Ali Herting, Sam Intili, Dave McCary,...

Mikey Madison scored another win for Anora.

On Saturday, the 25-year-old actress won the award for best lead performance, film, at the Independent Spirit Awards. While addressing the crowd, she thanked the entire cast and the director, Sean Baker.

“I want to thank Sean Baker. All of this started with you. You are an incredible director, a wonderful friend, incredible chihuahua owner,” she said “I’m so grateful that you came into my life.”

Madison was up against Amy Adams (Nightbitch), Ryan Destiny (The Fire Inside), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Keith Kupferer (Ghostlight), Demi Moore (The Substance), Hunter Schafer (Cuckoo), Justice Smith (I Saw the TV Glow), June Squibb (Thelma) and Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice), who she said she was “honored to be nominated” alongside. Last week, Madison won the BAFTA for best leading actress.

Madison also addressed Baker’s wife and producer on the film, Samantha Quan, for being “the most incredible,...

Mikey Madison has cemented herself as a frontrunner for the Best Actress award at the Oscars amid her latest wins.

The 25-year-old actress won the award for Best Lead Performance at the 2025 Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday afternoon (February 22) at the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles.

The movie also won Best Feature and Best Director for Sean Baker.

Also in attendance at the event were co-stars Yura Borisov, Mark Eydelshteyn, Karren Karagulian, and Vache Tovmasyan, as well as producers Alex Coco and Samantha Quan.

While Demi Moore won Best Actress at the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards, Mikey won at the BAFTAs and now the Spirit Awards. We’ll have to wait and see who takes the Oscar next weekend!

Make sure to check out the recap of every celeb who attended the event and take a look at our Best Dressed list as well. Also see the full winners list!

Sean Baker is mad as hell and he’s not going to take it anymore. For the last two decades, Baker has worked on the fringes of American cinema, sticking to his independent roots, but as his star rises to new heights with his Oscar frontrunner “Anora,” the writer/director is using his platform to call out the inequity he sees within the film industry and how it keeps creatives from achieving financial security.

Upon accepting the award for Best Director at the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards, after offering his thanks to everyone who made “Anora” possible, Baker dedicated a chunk of his speech to acknowledging the struggle indie film is currently facing. Baker explained that he thinks it will only get better when those who control the financing system offer greater support to artists.

Read Baker’s full Indie Spirit Awards speech below:

This is incredible. Film Independent, I love you.

When Sean Baker (Anora) won best director at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, he took the opportunity to reflect on the current state of independent film and said the industry needed to change to keep that genre of films alive.

“Indie film is struggling right now, more than ever,” Baker told the audience in a lengthy speech. “Gone are the days of DVD sales that allow for greater risk to be taken on challenging films. That revenue stream is gone, and the only way to see significant back-end is to have a box office hit with profits that far exceed what any of our films will ever see, unless you are Damien Leone and strike gold with a franchise like Terrifier. But as we all know, that’s an extreme rarity for me, and I think for many of my peers. If we’re lucky, the average number...

The 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards have wrapped! And now we know, as the full winners list for the Spirit Awards has been revealed, just how much momentum “Anora” has going into the Oscars: a lot. It already got the most Spirits nominations with six, and it ended up winning Best Feature, Best Director for Sean Baker, and Best Lead Performance for Mikey Madison.

Kieran Culkin won Best Supporting Performance for “A Real Pain,” which also won Best Screenplay. “No Other Land” won Best Documentary, and the extraordinary animated film “Flow” won Best International feature.

“Baby Reindeer” collected the most prizes on the TV side with Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series going to Richard Gadd, Jessica Gunning won Best Breakthrough Performance in a New Scripted Series, and Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series went to Nava Rau. “Shogun” won Best New Scripted Series.

Host Aidy Bryant...

The best in independent film and new television shows were honored at the 2025 Independent Spirit Awards and we have the full winners list here.

Anora and I Saw the TV Glow led the film nominations with five nods each while Shogun led the television nominations with five nods as well.

In the end, Anora and Baby Reindeer led their respective categories with three wins each!

Make sure to check out the recap of every celeb who attended the event and take a look at our Best Dressed list as well.

Keep reading to find out more…

Scroll down for the full list of winners…

Best Feature

Anora – Winner

Producers: Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan

I Saw the TV Glow

Producers: Ali Herting, Sam Intili, Dave McCary, Emma Stone, Sarah Winshall

Nickel Boys

Producers: Joslyn Barnes, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, David Levine

Sing Sing

Producers: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Monique Walton...

It’s on to the Oscars for Anora.

The sex-worker dramedy continued its awards-season run as the big winner at the 40th anniversary Film Independent Spirit Awards, which were handed out Saturday afternoon at the Santa Monica Pier. The Neon pic took Best Feature, Director for Sean Baker and gender-neutral Lead Performance for Mikey Madison.

In his acceptance speech for Best Director, self-described “indie lifer” Baker said indie film is “struggling more than ever” with little pay for those who provide a cultural zeitgeist for Hollywood and cinema. “The system has to be changed, it’s completely unsustainable. We shouldn’t be barely getting by.”

Backstage after the ceremony hosted by Aidy Bryant, Baker said: “We’re still processing Cannes. We’re back there — at least I am. Every festival and every award show has meant so much, but of course being here at Film Independent, at the Spirit Awards — when I introduce myself,...