Anora and Sex Workers Win Big at the Academy Awards

The film Anora made history at the 97th Academy Awards on March 2, taking home five of the six awards it was nominated for, including Best Picture. Four of those Oscars went to Sean Baker, who directed, wrote, and edited the film. There is plenty to say about Anora, a movie that was clearly well-loved by the 10,000 voting Academy members, but perhaps the most important is that it is a film about a sex worker. While the Academy Awards have frequently recognized performances portraying sex workers — anywhere from 14 to 17 Oscars have gone to actresses playing sex workers on screen throughout the years — Anora makes history as the first Best Picture winner centered on a sex worker’s story.

Anora follows Ani, a Brooklyn-based stripper who unexpectedly marries the son of a powerful Russian oligarch, leading to a high-stakes conflict between her new in-laws and her personal autonomy. The film has been praised for its gritty realism and Sean Baker’s signature verité style, but it has also been met with mixed reactions from real-life sex workers. While some have appreciated its attempt at a more authentic depiction, others have critiqued its reliance on familiar tropes and questioned why, once again, a film about sex work did not involve sex workers in key creative roles.

Many in the sex worker community have highlighted both positive and problematic aspects of the film. On one hand, Anora avoids some of the worst Hollywood stereotypes that paint sex workers solely as victims or villains. On the other, it still leans into dramatic storytelling that, while compelling, may not fully reflect the lived realities of many sex workers. Additionally, while Baker and Madison both expressed gratitude to sex workers in their acceptance speeches, some feel that mere acknowledgment is no longer enough.

One of the night’s most significant moments came when both Mikey Madison and Sean Baker explicitly thanked sex workers during their Oscar speeches. In an industry that has long exploited and misrepresented sex workers while erasing their voices, this moment of recognition felt groundbreaking. However, we can and should expect more. With a platform as massive as the Academy Awards, there was an opportunity to go beyond appreciation and advocate for real change — such as the decriminalization of sex work, which would ensure safety, dignity, and rights for those in the industry.

Hollywood’s treatment of sex work is evolving, and Anora represents an important step forward. But visibility alone is not enough. Moving forward, we must demand more than just acknowledgement — we must demand action. The fight for sex workers’ rights needs voices beyond the community itself. If filmmakers truly respect the people whose lives they depict, they should use their platforms to push for policies that protect and empower them. The time for simply recognizing sex workers has passed. Now is the time to fight for real change.