Anora sweeps the Oscars with 5 awards

LOS ANGELES — Anora, the story of a New York sex worker who gets a chance at a new life when she marries a wealthy Russian client on a whim, won five Academy Awards on Sunday, including the coveted best picture Oscar.

In addition to best picture, Sean Baker won for best director, original screenplay and editing to tie the record for most Oscars won by an individual in one year with Walt Disney who won for four different films in 1954.

The movie's 25-year-old star, Mikey Madison, was named best actress.

Anora was made for $6 million, a tiny sum by Hollywood standards. It emerged as the winner in an unpredictable Oscars race that included papal thriller Conclave, Jewish immigrant story The Brutalist and blockbuster musical Wicked.

"If you're trying to make independent films, please keep doing it. We need more. This is proof," Baker said.

Madison scored an upset over Demi Moore, who had been favored to win best actress for her role in The Substance.

"I grew up in Los Angeles, but Hollywood always felt so far away from me," Madison said on stage. "To be here standing in this room today is really incredible."

Anora, released by independent distributor Neon, has generated $40 million at global box offices. Wicked, by comparison, has hauled in $728 million.

Adrien Brody claimed his second best actor Oscar for his role as a Jewish immigrant and architect who chases the American dream in The Brutalist. The 51-year-old New York native had previously won for The Pianist, when he became the youngest best actor winner at 29.

"Acting is a very fragile profession," Brody said. "No matter where you are in your career, it can all go away. I think what makes this most special is the awareness of that."

Zoe Saldana was named best supporting actress for her role as the fixer for a Mexican drug lord in Emilia Perez, a Spanish-language musical released on Netflix.

Kieran Culkin received the best supporting actor award for playing one of two cousins who travel to Poland to study their family's roots in A Real Pain.

No Other Land, a film showing Palestinian West Bank resistance to Israeli soldiers tearing down their homes and evicting residents to create a military training ground, won the documentary feature film Oscar.

Agencies via Xinhua