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MANILA, Philippines — Palme d'Or winner and Neon outfit "Anora" dominating the Academy Awards signaled one thing: there remains a place for independent cinema in the world.
Filmmaker Sean Baker went up the Oscars stage four times, setting a new record for most wins for one film, to accept the awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing.
The other awards "Anora" won were Mikey Madison for Best Actress; as well as Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing.
Madison topped fellow frontrunner Demi Moore of "The Substance" and dark horse Fernanda Torres of "I'm Still Here."
After his co-producers Alex Coco and Samantha Quan gave their Best Picture speeches, Baker took the opportunity to thank the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for "recognizing a truly independent film."
"This film was made on the blood, sweat, and tears of incredible indie artists. Long live independent film!" Baker ended.
Next to "Anora," the movie with the most awards was "The Brutalist" distributed by A24, a film studio that heavily focuses on distributing indie films. "The Brutalist" won Best Actor for Adrien Brody, Best Cinematography, and Best Score.
Another independent film that found success at this year's Oscars was Latvian movie "Flow," which won Best Animated Feature Film over big studio nominees like "Inside Out 2" (Disney-Pixar) and "The Wild Robot" (Dreamworks-Universal).
It could be argued that Kieran Culkin's Best Supporting Actor win for "A Real Pain" and the Best Adapted Screenplay win of "Conclave" are victories for indie studios, Searchlight Pictures and Focus Features, although they are owned by Disney and Universal Pictures, respectively.
The last few years have seen indie distributors finding faith in what would become Best Picture Oscar winners: "Everything Everywhere All At Once" (A24) in 2023, "Nomadland" (Searchlight) in 2021, and "Parasite" (Neon, Madman, Curzon) in 2020.
Speaking of "Parasite," it also won the Palme d'Or in 2019 and since then, all winners —"Titane," "Triangle of Sadness" starring Dolly de Leon, and "Anatomy of a Fall," have been distributed by Neon. The three films all got Oscar nominations, with "Anatomy of a Fall" winning Best Original Screenplay last year.
At this rate, pundits will have to also take further consideration at the Film Independent Spirit Awards as a precursor to Academy Awards predictions apart from guild ceremonies, the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs), and perhaps, the Golden Globes.
Baker's historic triumph is a true victory for independent filmmakers after the director created beloved films such as "Tangerine," "Red Rocket," and "The Florida Project" (Dafoe's performance in the latter got a Best Supporting Actor nod).
But like any person dedicated to cinema, Baker, during his acceptance speech for Best Director, called on the public to watch more movies in the theaters.
"We're all here watching because we love movies. Where did we fall in love with the movies? At the movie theater," said Baker, which garnered applause.
"Watching a film in a theater with an audience is an experience — we can laugh together, cry together, scream in fright together, perhaps sit in devastated silence together... it's a communal experience you simply don't get at home," he added.
Baker noted the theater-going experience is under threat as movie theaters, especially those independently owned, are struggling and many even closed down during the pandemic.
"This is my battle cry: Filmmakers, keep making films for the big screen, I know I will," Baker said, which earned more applause. "Distributors, please focus first and foremost on the theatrical releases of your films."
The director ended his speech by saying it was his mother who introduced him to cinema when he was five years old. He then greeted her a happy birthday.
The portion of Baker's speech for distributors might be a small dig at studios who give limited theater windows to their films before sending them to streaming platforms; others even doing same-day releases in cinemas and streaming.
Netflix often does this for films it acquires, and the streaming giant's hunt for a Best Picture trophy continues after its campaign for "Emilia Perez" crashed and burned following Best Actress nominee Karla Sofia Gascon's controversial past posts.
Related: 'Anora' review: Palme d'Or winner eyes Oscar glory
From a whopping 13 nominations, "Emilia Perez" only took home expected wins for Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldana and one of its Best Original Song bets "El Mal."
The biggest loser of this year's Oscars was Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown," distributed by Searchlight, which won zero of its eight nominations.
This doesn't mean putting an end to blockbusters and major studio outfits, after all Warner Bros' "Dune: Part Two" and Universal's "Wicked" each won two awards.
Plus, Best Picture winners by major studios in the 21st century were very much deserving of their hauls like "Oppenheimer" (Universal), "No Country for Old Men" (Paramount), and "The Departed" (Warner Bros.). Those films were directed by veterans Christopher Nolan, the Coen brothers, and Martin Scorsese who all got their starts making independent films.
Many filmmakers owe a lot to independent cinema for molding the careers they have now and its touching that the Academy, approaching its 100th year, is giving more space for indie films to be recognized.
Beyond ensuring indies stay, there was one more thing the Oscars should do: get Conan O'Brien to host again next year.
RELATED: 'The Brutalist' review: Architecture cinema vies for Oscars
