Sean Baker dominates Oscar with historic milestone victory

Sean Baker, the director of Anora, became the first person to win four Oscars in the same year and for the same film.

The Florida Project filmmaker won the award for original screenplay, film editing, directing and best picture, tying his record with Walt Disney. However, Disney won Oscar in the same night in 1953, for four different films.

In his acceptance speech for the Best Director, Baker thanked the Academy for recognising Anora as "an independent film."

"We’re all here tonight and watching this broadcast because we love movies. Where did we fall in love with the movies? At the movie theater," he said.

He went on to advocate for the continued support of theatrical moviegoing, as he said, "In a time in which our world can feel very divided, this is more important than ever: It’s a communal experience you simply don’t get at home."

Baker urged his fellow filmmakers to "keep making films for the big screen" and advised the distributors to "please focus first and foremost on the theatrical releases of your films."

He also encouraged parents to introduce their children "to feature films in movie theatres and [they] will be moulding the next generation of movie lovers and filmmakers."

Giving a nod to his mother as he wished her a happy birthday, saying, "My mother introduced me to cinema at five years old. Today is also her birthday. Happy birthday mom. I love you. Thank you for everything."

The cinematographer also gave a shout-out to the presenter Quentin Tarantino, first casted Mikey Madison in the film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which led Baker to cast her in Anora.

Madison leads in the titular role for Baker’s Anora. She portrays a sex worker experiencing a whirlwind Cinderella story.