Anora. Photo: Supplied
Since winning the coveted Palme d'Or, Anora – which follows the turbulent adventures of a young sex worker – has spent the past six months taking the movie world by storm.
Anora stars Mikey Madison (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Scream) as the titular character, an exotic dancer from Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.
As the only Russian speaker at the Manhattan strip club she works at, Anora is assigned to entertain Vanya, the rich son of a Russian oligarch. When the pair spontaneously marry, Anora’s already unstable life begins to spiral.
The Palme d’Or is considered among the most prestigious prizes in film. It goes to the top film presented in-competition at the Cannes Film Festival, as selected by a jury of artists and industry professionals (led by this year’s jury president Greta Gerwig).
Anora joins an elite list of American productions to win over the decades, which include Taxi Driver, Apocalypse Now, and Pulp Fiction.
Sean Baker holds the Palme d'Or for 'Anora,' at Cannes Photo: Andreea Alexandru/Invision/AP
RNZ producer and film critic Sam Hollis speaks to Baker about how the film came to be, what winning the famed Palme meant to him, and what we’re not seeing enough of in modern cinema.
Anora will arrive in New Zealand cinemas on Boxing Day.
