
03/03/2025
Sean Baker won four Oscars for "Anora" and used his best director speech to fight for movie theaters.
"Right now, the theater-going experience is under threat. Movie theaters, especially independently-owned theaters are struggling. During the pandemic, we lost 1,000 screens in the U.S. And we continue to lose them regularly. If we don’t reverse this trend, we’ll be losing a vital part of our culture. This is my battle cry.”
“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. Watching a film in the theater with an audience is an experience. We can laugh together, cry together, and, in a time in which the world can feel very divided, this is more important than ever. It’s a communal experience you don’t get at home. And right now, the theater-going experience is under threat.”
Sean Baker made a 'battle cry' for endangered movie theaters at the Academy Awards, accepting the Oscar for best director for 'Anora.'