From ‘Tangerine’ to ‘Anora,’ the Oscar-winning director has used the elaborate Aguafina Script for his film credits as a way to subvert expectations.

Anora,” a strip club Cinderalla story without the fairy tale ending, was crowned best picture at the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday, handing Sean Baker’s gritty, Brooklyn-set screwball farce Hollywood’s top prize.

Oscars host Conan O’Brien didn’t have to name President Donald Trump on Sunday to slam him for cozying up to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The comedian ― just prior to a tribute to music icon Quincy Jones ― used a segment to remark on “Anora” having a “good night” as the Sean Baker film took home,

Sean Baker's film Anora won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival last year and is an Oscars favourite in 2025. Tom Brook speaks to location manager Ross Brodar about the film's iconic Coney Island locations.

There were a lot of smiling faces at the Oscars but one had to stand out — Sean Baker saw his film “Anora” go home with the top film prize and he took four for himself.

Sean Baker wins best director Academy Award for ‘Anora,’ his third Oscar of the night. More Entertainment

Sean Baker made Oscar history, becoming the first person to win four Academy Awards for directing, editing, writing and producing a single film, Anora. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh joins Samira to look at this year's Oscar winners and what they say about cinema today.

The indie filmmaker behind ‘Anora’ claimed four prizes in a single, breathless evening: “Long live independent film!”

Sean Baker, Luca Guadagnino, and Denis Villeneuve on their favorite opening movie scenes and the hardest shots of their careers.

Samantha Quan, from left, winner of the award for best picture for "Anora, Sean Baker, winner of the awards for best original screenplay, best film editing, best director, and best picture for "Anora,

The story line of “The Substance,” directed by Carolie Fargeat, became a living reality the night of the Oscars when Demi Moore was robbed of winning the Academy Award for Best Actress to Mikey Madison, who starred in “Anora,” directed by Sean Baker. I am not in any way shading Madison for her win, as both were just as deserving to win. However, I do find the parallels between the award show and the concept of “The Substance” to be quite rattling: a young actress overshadowing the successful career of her professional predecessor. Both films were socially significant to different aspects of the female experience so I shouldn’t even be mad about Madison taking home the award, but strangely I am. It could have a connection to the fear of aging — one that keeps me up at night. The experience of youth feels incredibly temporary, and the fear of not feeling fully content with your successes just to be washed away by society are all aspects of “The Substance,” which I believe is what makes me so drawn to it.  It’s saddening to see someone so matured into her career lose. What I think made it hurt even more was that this movie bought Moore her first major award wins. I am excited to see what else both Moore and Madison do in their careers, but I hope that Moore will win her very much deserved flowers before long. At least what I can say is that Moore did beat Madison in some capacity. In terms of looks from the night, both of their outfits were good. However, good is an understatement for the absolutely gorgeous outfit Moore wore. She was absolutely stunning.

As Anora director Sean Baker celebrated wins for five Academy Awards including best picture Sunday night, he called on filmmakers to “keep making movies for the big screen.” Capitol