‘Anora’ wins top Hollywood producer and director prizes

‘Anora’, from director Sean Baker, was named best film of the year at the DGA and PGA Awards, becoming a front runner for the upcoming Oscars

Anora was named the best film of the year by Hollywood’s directors and producers on Saturday, cementing its new status as the film to beat at the upcoming Oscars.

The black comedy from director Sean Baker, about an erotic dancer’s whirlwind romance gone wrong, picked up the prestigious Directors Guild of America and Producers Guild of America top awards, just a day after capturing the foremost US critics’ prize.

“My imposter syndrome is skyrocketing right now!” said Baker, a 53-year-old indie director, previously best known in arthouse circles for his empathetic portrayals of life in US subcultures, as he accepted his prize at a swanky Beverly Hills DGA gala.

Baker thanked his producers for being “able to pull of a $6 million film, shot on film, in New York City in 2023 -- almost impossible.”

Anora won the Cannes film festival top prize Palme d’Or back in May, yet had more recently lagged behind other films including Emilia Perez in terms of Oscar nominations.

Besides Saturday’s coup, Anora also won best picture at the Critics Choice Awards on Friday, propelling it as a renewed favorite for the Academy Awards -- which will take place on March 2.

Accepting his prize from Christopher Nolan, last year’s DGA winner, Baker joked that campaigning for Hollywood’s seemingly never-ending awards season had made him feel like he was “actually doing work” for “the first time.”