Los Angeles: Filmmaker Sean Baker clinched the trophy for Best Director at the 97th edition of the Academy Awards for his film ‘Anora’. The award was presented to Baker by legendary filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.
In the best director category, he edged out fellow best picture nominees including Jacques Audiard, Brady Corbet, Coralie Fargeat and James Mangold.
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”, reports ‘Variety’.
He further mentioned, “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 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. And right now, the theater-going experience is under threat”.
“Movie theaters, especially independently-owned theaters are struggling”, Baker continued. “During the pandemic, we lost 1,000 screens in the U.S. And we continue to lose them regularly. If we don’t reverse this trend, we’ll be losing a vital part of our culture. This is my battle cry”.
As per ‘Variety’, he made a plea to distributors as well to keep the essence of movies alive.
“Distributors, please focus first and foremost on the theatrical releases of your film. Neon did that for me, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart”, Baker said. “Parents, introduce your children to feature films in movie theaters and you’ll be molding the next generation of movie lovers and filmmakers. And when we can, please watch movies in the theater and let’s keep the great tradition of the movie-going experience alive and well”.
Baker also thanked his mom for introducing cinema to him early in his life, shouting out her birthday. The speech also opened with the filmmaker shouting out Tarantino, who cast ‘Anora’ star Mikey Madison in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’, the first time that Baker saw his future collaborator on screen.
The victory marked the crest of a resurgent awards campaign for Baker, which began months ago when ‘Anora’ was awarded the Palme d’Or after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. After a theatrical release from Neon in the fall and numerous honors from critics bodies, Baker, a self-proclaimed “indie film lifer,” nabbed top honors at the Directors Guild of America Awards in February.
(IANS)
