Watch Sean Baker Share a Powerful Speech After First Oscar Win for Anora
Sean Baker received his first Oscar win for directing Anora at the ninety-seventh Annual Academy Awards on March 2.
ANORA’s Sean Baker is the first person in #Oscars history to win 4 Academy Awards for the same film in one night. pic.twitter.com/H0Uw6dfQ4T
— NEON (@neonrated) March 3, 2025
Baker’s work on his acclaimed romance earned this season’s Best Director award, over fellow directors Brady Corbet, James Mangold, Jacques Audiard, and Coralie Fargeat. After his name was announced by presenter and legendary director Quentin Tarantino, Baker was immediately embraced by his cast before making his way to the stage. Baker thanked Tarantino for all his incredible work and for casting Mikey Madison in Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood (2019), because there “would be no Anora.”
He expressed his gratitude to the academy and his fellow nominees, whom he praised for creating incredible films, before touching on a more personal subject.
“So we’re all here tonight watching this broadcast because we love movies. Where do we fall in love with movies? At the movie theater,” Baker passionately added. “Watching a film in a theater with an audience is an experience. We can nod together, cry together, scream and fight together, perhaps sit in devastated silence together.”
The 54-year-old director continued, “In a time when the world can feel very divided, this is more important than ever. It’s a communal experience you simply don’t get at home.”
Baker mentioned that the movie theater experience “is under threat” and “independently owned theaters are struggling.”
“It’s up to us to support them. During the pandemic, we lost nearly 1,000 screens in the U.S., and we continue to lose them regularly,” Baker continued. “If we don’t reverse this trend, we will continue to lose a vital part of our culture.”
He explained that this topic is his “battle cry” and asked filmmakers to continue producing for the big screen. Baker claims he will and asks distributors to focus on the theatrical release of their films. Baker then advocated for parents to show their children feature films so “they can mold the next generation of movie lovers and movie makers.” Baker ended with one last piece of advice for all his fellow directors.
“Filmmakers, keep making films for the big screen! Distributors please focus on the theatrical release for the films… parents take your children to the theater! Let’s keep the moviegoing experience alive!”
— cinesthetic. (@TheCinesthetic) March 3, 2025
— Sean Bakerpic.twitter.com/0IPezRw80a
“For all of us, when we can, please watch movies in the theater, and let’s keep the great movie-going tradition alive,” he passionately concluded.
Click here to watch the full version of Baker’s captivating acceptance speech.
