(Bloomberg) -- Anora, a drama about a sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch, took home the best picture prize at the Academy Awards on Sunday.
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The film, from independent distributor Neon, had six nominations going into the event, which was held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. It won five. Filmmaker Sean Baker also won for directing, film editing and best original screenplay. Mikey Madison, a first time Oscar nominee, won best actress for her starring role in the picture.
Baker’s work often focuses on the lives of marginalized people. His past movies include The Florida Project, about a single mother and daughter scraping to get by under the shadow of Walt Disney World.
Anora has generated $40.9 million in box office receipts since its October release. Last year’s best picture winner, Universal’s Oppenheimer, took in close to $1 billion and won seven Oscars overall.
Baker used his acceptance speeches to urge filmmakers, studios and audiences to support seeing pictures in theaters.
“Long live independent film,” he said in accepting his final award.
Adrien Brody took home the best actor for his portrayal of a Jewish immigrant struggling to make it as an architect after World War II in The Brutalist, from independent studio A24. It also won best score.
Earlier in the evening Zoe Saldaña took home the Oscar for best supporting actress for her performance in the Netflix Inc. film Emilia Pérez.
Saldaña, who is best known for her work in science fiction films like Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy, won for her portrayal of an attorney who helps the lead character change their identity. In an emotional acceptance speech in which she broke into tears several times, Saldaña said she was the “proud child of immigrant parents” and the first actor of Dominican Republic origin to win.
Emilia Pérez lead Karla Sofía Gascón, the first openly transgender person ever nominated for an acting Oscar, was in attendance. Gascón had come under fire recently for comments she made on social media years ago about Muslims and George Floyd.
Kieran Culkin took home the Oscar for best supporting actor. Culkin, a former child actor whose career saw a resurgence with the HBO drama Succession, won for his portrayal of a troublesome cousin on a Holocaust-themed tour of Poland in the film A Real Pain. The film was written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, who also co-starred.