Oscars 2025: Sean Baker wins Best Director for 'Anora', Priyanka misses out with 'Anuja'

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 theatres, telling filmmakers to “keep making films for the big screen. I know I will", reports Variety. He also said, “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 theatre. Watching a film in the theatre 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 theatre-going experience is under threat.

“Movie theatres, especially independently-owned theatres are struggling”, Baker added. “During the pandemic, we lost 1,000 screens in the US. 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".

Meanwhile, the Priyanka Chopra and Guneet Monga-backed short film Anuja lost to the Dutch-language film I'm Not a Robot at the Oscar Awards. Anuja, which tells the story of a gifted nine-year-old girl who, alongside her sister Palak, faces a life-changing opportunity that tests their bond and mirrors the struggles of girls worldwide, was competing at the Oscars 2025 in the Best Live Action Short category. Other contenders included A Lien, The Last Ranger, and The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent.

I’m Not A Robot is a science fiction film directed by Victoria Warmerdam. Along with Priyanka and Guneet, Anuja — currently streaming on Netflix — also has Hollywood star-writer Mindy Kaling as a producer and is directed by Adam J. Graves.

The narrative follows the young protagonist as she faces a decision that will impact both her future and her family. The short, developed in partnership with Mira Nair’s Salaam Baalak Trust, features Sajda Pathan in a leading role.

In January, Priyanka said she was proud of the “beautiful film” Anuja, in which she serves as an executive producer. Priyanka took to her Instagram stories, where she shared a snapshot of a news article from variety.com which had the title 'Netflix Acquires ‘Anuja,’ Oscar-Shortlisted Short Film Backed by Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Mindy Kaling and Guneet Monga Kapoor'.

Also during the evening, Adrien Brody was feted with his second Oscar for Best Actor, for his role in Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist. He was nominated alongside names such as Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) and Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice) as Actor in a Leading Role.

In 2003, Brody became the youngest person to win the prize at 29, for his lead role in The Pianist. Had Chalamet won, he would have beaten Brody’s record by eight months. Brody joins a short list of actors who have won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: Spencer Tracy, Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, Dustin Hoffman, Gary Cooper, Tom Hanks, Fredric March, Sean Penn and Anthony Hopkins. Daniel Day-Lewis is the only person to win Best Actor three times.