Anora wins big

The highly-coveted Best Picture honour went to ‘Anora’ at the 97th Academy Awards.

The romantic drama bested fellow nominees ‘The Brutalist’, ‘A Complete Unknown’, ‘Conclave’, ‘Dune: Part Two’, ‘Emilia Perez’, ‘I’m Still Here’, ‘Nickel Boys’, ‘The Substance’ and ‘Wicked’ to receive the accolade, and director Sean Baker thanked the Academy for “recognising a truly independent film”.

Accepting the accolade, he said: “This film was made with the blood, sweat and tears of incredible indie artists and ... long live independent film!”

As well as Best Picture, ‘Anora’ took home another four awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing.