Sean Baker's Anora Clinches Cannes Palme D'Or; Filmmaker Dedicates Win to Sex Workers

Sean Baker's film Anora, a Brooklyn odyssey about a sex worker marrying a Russian oligarch's son, clinched the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Baker, known for using iPhones in filmmaking, expressed his commitment to keeping cinema alive, dedicating the award to sex workers.

Cannes: The film Anora directed by Sean Baker, a hilarious yet heartbreaking story of a sex worker who marries the son of a wealthy Russian tycoon, took home the Palme d'Or, the highest honour at the Cannes Film Festival. With the victory on Saturday for Anora, 53-year-old independent filmmaker Baker—the man behind The Florida Project—was awarded the prestigious award. Baker accepted the prize as Mikey Madison, the star of Baker's film, watched from the audience during the Cannes closing ceremony.

With a grin, Baker remarked, "This, literally, has been my singular goal as a filmmaker for the past 30 years, so I’m not really sure what I’m going to do with the rest of my life." However, Baker swiftly responded that his goal would always be to "fight to keep cinema alive." Baker is the first American director to win the Palme since Terrence Mallick in 2011 with The Tree of Life.

The director stated that, unlike what certain tech companies would have us believe, "watching a film at home while scrolling through your phone, answering emails, and half paying attention is just not the way. The world needed to be reminded of this." Baker, who dedicated his award, remarked, "So I say the future of cinema is where it started: in a movie theatre, and dedicated his award to all sex workers "past, present and future."

Greta Gerwig, who told reporters she was "forever changed as a filmmaker because of this experience," was in charge of the nine-member jury that decided the winners. Anora has the sense of a classic movie, according to Gerwig, who described it as having surprising turns akin to an Ernst Lubitsch or Howard Hawks production. Even while Anora was undoubtedly the most highly regarded movie at the festival, its victory came as a small surprise. Many predicted that the Iranian film The Seed of the Sacred Fig or the tender Indian drama All We Imagine As Light would take home the trophy.

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