Anora: The Surprise Contender of the Awards Season

Who would have thought? A quirky comedy from Brooklynhas suddenly become the talk of the town. In a surprising twist, a movie named "Anora" won the big prizes at the recent Producers Guild Awards and Directors Guild Awards. This win has made it the hot favorite for the Oscar's. Until now, the Oscar race was wide open. Many thought the movie "Anora" would be the top contender because it won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie stars a young actress named Mikey Madison and tells the story of a Brooklyn exotic dancer who marries a Russian oligarch's son. But the race wasn't that simple. This was the first time that the movie "Anora" was in the spotlight after other movies had been in the news. These movies, "The Brutalist" and "Emilia Pérez, " won the Golden Globes. Both the Producers Guild Awards and the Directors Guild Awards took place in Beverly Hills. The top prize at the Producers Guild Awards, the Darryl F. Zanuck Award, has been the same as the Oscar for best picture in 16 out of the last 21 years. Since 2009, the guild and the Academy have only had different winners three times. The Directors Guild of America has also been a good predictor of the Oscar. In the last 74 years, 66 winners have also won the Oscar. That makes "Anora's" director, Sean Baker, the favorite for best director. The guild also chose "Nickel Boys" as the best first film. "Nickel Boys" is the first narrative film from director RaMell Ross. He's up against big names at the Oscars. Oscar voting starts on Tuesday. Still, the movie "Emilia Pérez" is the top nominee with 13 nods. However, it has faced a lot of backlash. Another category, that got some clarity was the best animated movie. The movie "The Wild Robot" won nine awards at the recent Annie Awards.