Anora
After being brush aside from the Oscars race for a while , Sean Baker’sAnorahas surprisingly emerged as the frontrunner to win Best Picture . Whenthe nomination for the 97th Academy Awardswere herald , there were plenty of nominees that were expected , but they also include a few surprise . I’m Still Heretranscended the Best International Feature Film category to bring in a Best Picture nominating speech . Denis Villeneuve was snubbed for Best Director for his work onDune : Part Two , while Monica Barbaro earned a surprisal nod for her round as Joan Baez inA Complete Unknown .
The frontrunners in most of the Oscar category have been typeset for a while . Timothée Chalamet is bear to win Best Actor assembly Complete Unknown . Kieran Culkin is wait to win Best Supporting Actor forA Real Pain . But the top prize , Best Picture , has been up in the zephyr for a while . The frontrunner has changed a couple of times . It ’s anyone ’s guesswork which motion-picture show will actually take the trophy household , butthe current frontrunner to get ahead Best Picture isAnora — and there are a few understanding for that .
5Anora Won The Critics' Choice Award For Best Picture
The First Movie To Win Best Picture Without Winning In Any Other Categories
The frontrunners for the Oscars are ascertain by how well each movie does at all the smaller honor ceremonial occasion leading up to the Oscars . The Golden Globes are ordinarily the bounteous indicator for the Oscars , butthe other awards shows have an encroachment , too . At the 30th Critics ’ Choice Awards , Anorawon Best Picture , making it the first ever film to get ahead Best Picture at the critic ’ Choice Awards without winning in any other category .
AnoraKey Facts Breakdown
Budget
$ 6 million
Box Office
$ 36 million
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score
94 %
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
90 %
Mikey Madison lost Best Actress to Demi Moore forThe Substance . Sean Baker lose Best Director to Jon M. Chu forWicked , Best Original Screenplay to Coralie Fargeat forThe Substance , and Best Editing to Marco Costa forChallengers . But in spite of these exit , it still took family Best Picture .
4Anora Won The Biggest Award At PGA
The Darryl F. Zanuck Award
Whereas Best Director honors the skillful achievement in aim and Best Original Screenplay honors the best achievement in screenwriting , Best Picture is technically reserved for the producers steering the ship . The prize exit to the movie itself , but the genuine trophies go to the producer that got the film made . So , of course , the Producers Guild of America ’s opinion carries a lot of weight in that section .
Anorawon the top prize at the 36th PGA Awards . The Darryl F. Zanuck Award is the PGA ’s equivalent of Best Picture . The nominees were almost identical to the Oscar nominees ( albeit withA Real PainandSeptember 5taking the place ofI’m Still HereandNickel Boys ) , butAnoratook it home .
3Sean Baker Won Best Director At DGA
Or Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Motion Pictures
At the 77th Directors Guild of America Awards , Anora ’s Sean Baker won for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures . As the flowery name would advise , this is the DGA ’s equivalent of Best Director . Baker scramble out Oscar frontrunners like Jacques Audiard and Brady Corbet to take home the trophy .
This is a promising signaling that Baker could make headway Best Director at the Oscars , which , in bit , isa hopeful mark thatAnoracould win Best Picture . Four of the last five Best Director winner correlated with the Best Picture achiever . If history repeats itself , Anoracould take home both Best Picture and Best Director .
2The Brutalist & Emilia Pérez Have Been Hurt By Controversies
Use of A.I., Hateful Tweets And More
BeforeAnorabecame the frontrunner , the previous darling to gain Best Picture at the 2025 Oscars wereThe BrutalistandEmilia Pérez , but they ’ve both been marred by controversy . The Brutalisthas faced some repercussion for its exercise of A.I. — not just for technical touch - ups , but for creative role , too . SinceA.I. art is the antithesis of tangible art , this will likely costThe Brutalistone of the world ’s top trophy for artistic achievement .
Sean Baker ’s Anora terminate in a way that will lead viewers rattle . We give out down the biggest and most authoritative moments from the movie ’s ending .
Emilia Pérez , on the other hand , has look a whirlwind of controversy . The movie itself has been criticise for its inauthentic portrayal of Mexican culture and the trans feel , while its title star , Karla Sofía Gascón , has occur under fire for a retentive stockpile of mean tweets . Anorafaced some minor controversy for not using an liaison coordinator , but that choice was made by the worker themselves , and it ’s been massively overshadow by the othercontroversies in the 2025 Oscars race .
1Anora Is Both Arthouse Fare & Crowd-Pleasing Entertainment
The Winner Tends To Be A Combination Of Both
Every year , the Best Picture candidate at the Oscars are a premix of unsung arthouse moving-picture show , likeTárandThe Zone of Interest , and crowd - pleasing smash hit entertainment , likeBarbieandTop Gun : Maverick . But the winner tends to be a compounding of both;the good of both worlds . Last year ’s succeeder , Oppenheimer , is both a three - hour diachronic heroic poem and a star - stud Christopher Nolan thriller . The old winner , Everything Everywhere All at Once , is both a sobering , observational crime syndicate dramatic event and a psyche - bending sci - fi action comedy .
Out of this year ’s nominees , Anora , The Substance , andDune : Part Twoare the only movies that match the bill .
Out of this class ’s nominees , Anora , The Substance , andDune : Part Twoare the only movies that go the poster . Wickedis a populist smash hit , whileThe Brutalistis a raw , harrowing matter ; they both fall on just one side of the spectrum . Anorais both a challenging arthouse drama and a jape - out - loud gang - pleasing romcom .
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