Anora surprises as best photo winner at the Critics Choice Awards: ‘So Unexpected’

Anora Took the top price home at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards.

Friday, February 7th, author-instructor Sean Baker took the scene in Los Angeles to accept the best photo gain and beat with nominated nominees A complete unknownAt BrutalistAt ConclaveAt Dune: Part twoAt Emilia PérezAt Nickel boysAt Sing SingAt The fabric and Evil.

While he accepted the award, Baker expressed his shock over the victory and called it “so unexpectedly.”

“When those who dedicate their lives to their love for film and film criticism and film journalism, when they see something positive in your work, just a little, it means everything in the world,” he said. “So thank you guys so much.”

Baker continued, “We made this little movie — it was $ 6 million. It’s micro-budget these days. We shot at movies. We shot in New York City. It all happened because of my incredible role crew and crew that raised it .

Then he said of the independent film community, “We have to go to make it stay on the big screen. And that’s what I want to say. We made this movie for the big screen. We thank everyone who saw it on the big screen, ”

The director ended his speech with a nod to cinemas. “We have to think about the theaters. That’s where we all fell in love with the movies, at the cinemas. They go through some tough times. We lost 1,000 theaters under Covid. We lose them almost daily. That’s where we love to watch film.

Anora Stars Mikey Madison as a New York City sex worker, whose whirlwind Cinderella story after the meeting and marry Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), the young son of a Russian billionaire family, takes a trip to the worse when Ivan’s parents find out the marriage.

Anora Was nominated for seven total prices at the Critics Choice Awards, including nominations for Madison in best actress, Yura Borisov in the best supportive actor, the entire role crew in the best acting ensemble, Baker for best director and best original screenplay and best editing.

Music biopic A complete unknown Stars Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan of the 1960s. Apart from the film’s best photo -rating at the Critics Choice Awards, Chalamet, 29, is nominated for best actor, while Edward Norton received a nomination for his supporting performance as Pete Seeger.

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A complete unknown were instructed and co-written by James Mangold (Go on the line); Monica Barbaro portrays Joan Baez in the movie, while Elle Fanning portrays Dylan’s then girlfriend Sylvie Russo; Boyd Holbrook portrays Johnny Cash, and Scoot McNairy plays Woodie Guthrie.

Brutalist Stars Adrien Brody as a Hungarian -born Jewish architect who emigrates to the United States after surviving World War II and the Holocaust. The film won three awards at the 2025 Golden Globes on January 5, including honors for Brody’s performance, filmmaker Brady Corbet’s work as director and as best image in Globes’ drama category.

Director Edward Berger’s Conclave Is one of two films to receive 11 total nominations at this year’s Critics Choice Awards along with Evil. The film, adapted by author Robert Harris’ 2016 novel with the same name, follows a group of Catholic cardinals gathering in the modern Vatican state to choose a new pope in the days following a pope’s death.

Dune: Part twowhich also plays Chalamet, led into the Critics Choice Awards with 10 total nominations, tied to the second most among all nominated films with Emilia Pérez.

The movie that picks up where the 2021s Dune: Part 1 Left Off, Costars Chalamet with Zendaya, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem and more.

Emilia Pérez Follows a high -ridden lawyer named Rita (Zoe Saldaña), employed by a Mexican cartelor (Karla Sofía Gascón) to help them fall out of their death and review gender -affirming procedures so they can switch to life as a woman.

The movie, now streaming on Netflix, won four awards at the 2025 Golden Globes on January 5; Its 10 nominations at the Critics Choice Awards are tied with Dune: Part two For the second most nominations among all films.

Nickel boys is a unique screen adaptation of Colson Whiteheads Pulitzer-award-winning historical novel based on real violent reform schools in America. The film plays Ethan Herisse as Elwood, who is sent to Reform School Nickel Academy in the 1960s Florida, and Brandon Wilson as Turner, as Elwood becomes a friend of school.

Sing SingColman Domingo-led indie, who follows a group of imprisoned men participating in an art and theater program at New York’s Sing Sing Correctional Facility, was up to five awards at this year’s Critics Choice Awards. Sing Sing is based on a real program called Rehabilitation through the art (RTA) And Maclin’s real experience in learning how to act while they were jailed at Sing Sing. The film contains a number of non -professional actors and men who were previously imprisoned in the maximum security prison.

The fabric drove into the Critics Choice Awards with seven overall nominations, including nods to stars Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. Moore and Qualley depict different versions of the same character in The fabric; Moore’s Elisabeth Sparkle is looking for a black-market medicine called the drug after she is fired from her long-term training TV program, only to find out that the drug creates a younger version of her. For the task of living life in a body at one point for seven days a piece, Elizabeth and Sue (Qualley) come to Gory and shocking odds as the younger woman begins to steal time from Elizabeth’s life.

Jon M. Chu’s musical adaptation Wicked: Part 1As plays Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande is tied with Conclave Among all nominated films with 11 nominations. Audience, both critics and Hollywood -fans expect Evil To return to the price season in 2026 after Wicked: Too good Releases in Theaters 21 November.

See people’s full coverage of the 30th annual Critics Choice Awards when they broadcast live on E! From Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. The show will also be available to stream the day after at Peacock.