At the Academy Awards on March 2, filmmaker Sean Baker made a passionate appeal to save the cinema experience while accepting the Best Director award for Anora. The 54-year-old director, who had already won Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing earlier in the night, edged out contenders Brady Corbet (The Brutalist), James Mangold (A Complete Unknown), Jacques Audiard (Emilia Perez), and Coralie Fargeat (The Substance) to claim the prestigious prize.

Receiving the award from Quentin Tarantino at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Baker expressed his gratitude and acknowledged Tarantino’s influence on his work, saying, "If you hadn’t cast Mikey Madison in Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, there would be no Anora." Taking a moment to address a cause close to his heart, Baker delivered what he called his "battle cry" to protect the traditional movie-going experience. He spoke about the magic of watching films in a theatre—sharing laughter, tears, and moments of awe with an audience—especially in a world that often feels divided.

He highlighted the struggles faced by movie theatres, particularly independent ones, noting that nearly 1,000 screens were lost in the U.S. during the pandemic, and the trend continues. Urging filmmakers to keep making movies for the big screen, he called on distributors to prioritize theatrical releases and encouraged parents to introduce their children to cinema in theatres.

"If we don’t reverse this trend, we’ll be losing a vital part of our culture," he warned. Baker concluded his speech with a heartfelt tribute to his mother, who first introduced him to cinema at the age of five. In a touching moment, he dedicated his win to her, saying, "Today is also her birthday. Happy birthday, Mom. I love you. This is for you."

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.