Sean Baker’s ‘Anora’ Sweeps DGA & PGA Awards Top Prizes

UPDATED with PGA win: Sean Baker gained each the PGA Awards‘ and DGA Awards‘ prime prizes for Neon’s Anora — on the identical evening. And if previous statistics are a signifier of what’s to return, it’s a main indicator for each the Oscars’ Greatest Director class in addition to Greatest Image.

Baker’s wild evening began on the Beverly Hilton, the place he gained the Administrators Guild’s prime prize, the Excellent Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Function Movie. He then raced to the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century Metropolis, the place he picked up the PGA’s prime trophy, the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Excellent Producer of Theatrical Movement Footage, alongside his fellow producers Alex Coco and Samantha Quan.

Deadline confirmed that the PGA ceremony delayed its begin to accommodate the Anora crew, which was coming off taking the Greatest Image prize Friday night on the Critics Selection Awards.

So what does this imply for Baker and Anora‘s possibilities on the Oscars, the place the movie has six nominations?

The wins tonight are notable not simply because they occurred shut collectively: 25 of the previous 34 PGA Theatrical Movement Image winners went on to win Greatest Image on the Oscars, together with final yr’s Oppenheimer, whereas 19 of the DGA’s previous 22 Theatrical Function winners have gone on to win Oscar Greatest Director.

And within the historical past of the Academy Awards, there are solely six situations when a Greatest Image winner didn’t have a Greatest Director Nomination: Wings (1927/28), Grand Lodge (1931/32), Driving Miss Daisy (1989), Argo (2012), Inexperienced Guide (2018) and CODA (2021).

“My imposter syndrome is skyrocketing proper now, in addition to my cortisol ranges,” Baker mentioned onstage on the DGA Awards after his win there tonight. “It’s such an honor to be acknowledged by my friends.”

He thanked his directorial crew, forged and crew, Neon, the DGA, after which turned to Quan and Coco. “Clearly I’ve tortured you and I’m so sorry,” he mentioned. “They have been in a position to pull off a $6 million movie shot on movie in New York Metropolis in 2023 — nearly an impossibility.”

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Baker gave props to his forged “that put all the pieces into it,” particularly Mikey Madison, who performs the lead function of Ani (Anora), alongside Yura Borisov, Mark Eydelshteyn, Karren Karagulian and Vache Tovmasyan, within the movie a few younger lady working in a New York strip membership who impulsively marries a youthful, wealthy shopper, solely to search out out he’s the son of a Russian oligarch, and his household are lower than happy by the union.

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“Working with [Madison] has modified the best way I will likely be directing actors sooner or later, due to what she gave,” Baker mentioned. “Listening to her unbelievable concepts … a yr earlier than manufacturing, what she wished to convey to the manufacturing and what she did convey to it. [She has] an unbelievable profession forward.”

Baker recalled figuring out he wished to be a director when he noticed the burning window sequence from 1931’s Frankenstein. “The following morning I advised my mom I wished to be a director,” he mentioned. “My mom supported me the entire method. Sadly, I don’t suppose I’m making the films she wished me to make. I don’t suppose she’s seen Anora, I don’t need her to see Anora.”

Simply down the street on the PGA Awards, Baker continued to rally Coco and Quan as facilitators of his imaginative and prescient.

“I noticed them shine as producers,” Baker mentioned in his onstage remarks with the duo at his facet. “I noticed them make miracles daily. They by no means mentioned no to me. They labored it out.”

The Oscars will likely be held on the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on March 2^nd.

Anthony D’Alessandro and Fred Topel contributed to this report.