Anora filmmaker Sean Baker dedicated the accolade to his mom after securing a major win at the 2025 Oscars.
The 54-year-old American director attended the 97th annual Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
During the star-studded event, Sean hit the stage to receive one of the final awards of the evening in the category of Best Director for a romance-comedy movie.
While accepting the award, the renowned director began his winning speech by wishing a very happy birthday to his mother, who introduced him to the cinema at an early age.
"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," Sean added.
The Red Rocket director later expressed gratitude to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood's maker Quentin Tarantino for casting Mikey Madison in the comedy movie before Anora.
He stated, "If you didn't cast Mikey in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, there would be no Anora."
Micky played the lead character as Ani in Anora alongside Yuriy Borisov, Mark Eydelshteyn, and others.
Sean Baker's directorial movie Anora was initially released across theatres on October 18, 2024.
Apart from Sean, several popular directors of Hollywood were nominated for the Best Director category, including Jacques Audiard for Emilia Pérez, Brady Corbet for The Brutalist, Coralie Fargeat for The Substance, and James Mangold for A Complete Unknown.
