Movies

‘Anora’ Director Shocked as Film Snags Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival

FAIRY TALE ENDING

“I don’t really know what’s happening right now,” said ‘Anora’ director Sean Baker.

US director Sean Baker poses after winning the Palme d'Or for the film "Anora" during the Closing Ceremony at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 25, 2024.
Valery Hache/AFP via Getty Images

The twisted Brooklyn fairy tale film with a beautiful ending, Anora snagged the Palme d’Or on Saturday, the highest honor at the Cannes Film Festival. New Jersey director Sean Baker seemed totally taken aback as he accepted the coveted award at a ceremony on Saturday, alongside the film’s star Mikey Madison. “I don’t really know what’s happening right now,” said Baker, who also directed the award-winning movie The Florida Project in 2017. This is also the fifth straight Palm d’Or win for the independent film distribution company Neon after Parasite (2020), Titane (2021), Triangle of Sadness (2022), and Anatomy of a Fall (2023). While Anora was very well received at this year’s festival, its victory is still a big surprise, according to the New York Post. Many had expected either the Indian drama All We Imagine As Light or the Iranian film The Seed of the Sacred Fig to win the top honor.