THE final words at the 97th Academy Awards belonged to the director of Anora, Sean Baker. “I want to thank the Academy for recognising a truly independent film. This film was made with the blood, sweat and tears of incredible indie artists. Long live independent film…,” the filmmaker said, before walking away with the Best Picture trophy. This was just one of the several acceptance speeches Baker gave at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre on Sunday: He also won the Best Director, Best Editing and Best Original Screenplay awards for the same film

Earlier in the evening, after accepting the award for Best Director, Baker spoke up for movie theatres and indie filmmakers. The self-described “indie lifer” said, “Right now, the theatre-going experience is under threat. Movie theatres, especially independently-owned theatres, are struggling. During the pandemic, we lost nearly 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.”

Before the ceremony, many called this year’s Oscar race “unpredictable”, given the several controversies in the run-up to the evening. For the film industry........

© Indian Express