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Anora Director Sean Baker REVEALS How His Oscar-Nominated Film Came to Be; ‘It Was This Idea...'
The director of Anora opened up about the creative process of the film, shared the initial storyline that was later scrapped, and explained how one of his previous film locations inspired the Oscar-nominated project!
Sean Baker’s 2024 indie rom-com Anora marked his Oscars breakthrough with a double nomination. The movie follows Ani (Mickey Madison), who works at a strip club until she suddenly marries a rich, young Russian client. When his oligarch family comes after her, intending to remove her from the young man’s life, she firmly stands her ground.
The indie movie beautifully celebrates a woman’s grit and refusal to be beaten down in the face of a crisis. Anora secured six nominations at the 2025 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Madison), and Best Supporting Actor (Yura Borisov).
Speaking to Deadline, Baker revealed that the idea for Anora came to him in installments after his 2021 movie Red Rocket debuted at the Cannes Film Festival that year. The filmmaker recalled being between projects while exploring some of his back-burner ideas.
At the time, he was working on a high-end fashion film for Khaite’s new collection, and the shoot took place in Coney Island during the winter. Baker felt that the place appeared “stuck in time” due to its gorgeous and cinematic landscapes. He pitched the idea to his producer and collaborator, Alex Coco, suggesting they should film their next project there—and it was finalized.
The core idea of the story started with a concept slightly different from the final version. “It was this idea of a young wife or perhaps fiancée being held captive against her will,” because of something her husband did. “That was the idea that I really found fascinating,” he recalled.
Baker wanted to avoid making another Russian mobster story, and that’s when he had a eureka moment—basing it on the son of a Russian oligarch. That was all they needed to get started with the creative process for Anora, and the rest is history.
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