The Oscar for Best Film goes to Anora. Sean Baker takes home four awards

The statuettes for the 97th Academy Awards have all be handed out. Films shown at KVIFF 58, Vary At Your Cinema, and Variations won several awards.

The main categories were dominated by Anora, a gangster comedy about the relationship between a prostitute and the spoiled son of a Russian oligarch. Director Sean Baker became the first director in history to win four Oscars in one evening for the same film: Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing. In addition, the Best Actress award went to the film’s star, 25-year-old actress Mikey Madison, who prepared for the part by learning Russian and visiting various strip clubs. Anora was shown as a sneak preview last fall during the 2024/2025 season of Vary At Your Cinema Tady Vary and has been in Czech cinemas since late October.

Of its thirteen nominations, Emilia Pérez ultimately only converted two: Best Original Song for El Mal and Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña. The Best Supporting Actor award went to Kieran Culkin for his portrayal of the unpredictable Benji in A Real Pain. The story about two very different cousins who travel to Poland in search of their family’s roots was shown as part of November’s Variations in Karlovy Vary.

The Substance, which was shown in the Horizons sections at KVIFF 58, scored one of its five nominations – Best Makeup for Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli. This body horror starring Golden Globe winner Demi Moore is available for viewing on KVIFF.TV.

Winner of the award for Best International Feature Film was the Brazilian-French biographical drama I’m Still Here. This heart-wrenching story, based on the memoirs of former member of parliament Marcelo Rubens Paiva, takes place during a dark chapter in Brazil’s history, when the country was ruled by a military dictatorship. The film’s Czech pre-premiere will take place 12 March as part of this year’s Vary At Your Cinema. It subsequently enters Czech cinemas on 20 March.

Winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature was the Palestinian-Norwegian co-production No Other Land, which was directed by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, and Rachel Szor. This unique documentary about the Israeli government’s attempts at forcing people out of Palestinian settlements in the West Bank was screened in the Horizons section of the 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

And the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film went to the Dutch film I’m Not a Robot, which was shown on the opening evening of the 19th Pragueshorts film festival. Victoria Warmerdam’s film about a woman thrown into a new reality by a series of failed CAPTCHA tests, has won more than sixty festival awards.