PBS News Hour

GEOFF BENNETT: The small budget indie flick "Anora" was the biggest winner at last night's Academy Awards.

It won five Oscars, including for best picture, best director, and best actress.

Mikey Madison won for her portrayal of the title character, becoming one of the youngest to win in that latter category.

Stephanie Sy has more for our arts and culture series, Canvas.

STEPHANIE SY: "Anora" tells the story of a New York sex worker who falls in love with the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch.

Produced with just $6 million, the film was directed, written, edited and produced by Sean Baker, who swept those categories and is now tied with Walt Disney for the most Oscars won in a single night.

For more on Sean Baker's sweep and other highlights from the Oscars, I'm joined by Justin Chang, a film critic at "The New Yorker" who also reviews movies for NPR's "Fresh Air."

Justin, welcome back to the "News Hour."

So what did you think of the Oscars this year, and, in particular, the success of "Anora," which, as I understand it, takes on a marginalized community, and at least I have read destigmatizes and humanizes sex work?

JUSTIN CHANG, "The New Yorker": Yes, thank you, Stephanie.

It absolutely does that.

And this is something that has been very meaningful to Sean Baker throughout his career.

He has repeatedly and consistently made really interesting, smart movies about sex worker characters, "Starlet," "Tangerine," "Red Rocket."

And so he is not a filmmaker many of us critics who have been championing his great work for many years who necessarily was inevitably in line for an Oscar win.

So it's really gratifying that he won, that a movie as strong as "Anora" winning five Oscars, and in all those categories that you mentioned, winning four Oscars for Baker alone and best actress for Mikey Madison, it's pretty remarkable.

I also think that many of us feel this is one of the better outcomes to a very long, fraught and controversy-plagued season that we are all extremely happy is over.

STEPHANIE SY: Justin, this isn't the first time in recent years we have seen a small-budget indie film win best picture.

And we also saw multiple wins, including best actor, go to "The Brutalist" starring Adrien Brody.

What has changed in the academy to bring these films to the forefront?

JUSTIN CHANG: I think that the academy is becoming a more diverse membership, a more international membership, due to concerted efforts to diversify its ranks.

It's a younger group, a more globally minded group.

Many members now live outside the U.S. And I think their taste has actually become more sophisticated.

This is not the first time, as you say, Stephanie, that an independent low-budget film has won best picture.

And I think that both "Anora" and "The Brutalist" speak to the high regard for these movies, even if they aren't setting the box office on fire.

Both movies made for $10 million or less, as the filmmakers have been drawing attention to.

Both movies have grossed about $40 million worldwide.

It's a very good thing that the Academy is able to separate big hits from excellent movies.

And that's why I'm very grateful that "Wicked" did not win best picture last night, one of a few reasons, actually.

STEPHANIE SY: That would have been a much more traditional choice, in a sense.

Speaking of that, I want to talk about best documentary feature, which went to "No Other Land."

That chronicles Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes in the West Bank.

Even in Hollywood, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a third rail.

And this film doesn't even have a U.S. distributor.

What statement did the academy send with this award?

JUSTIN CHANG: I think it was a brilliant choice of a brilliant movie for this award.

It is pretty unheard of for a movie that has had trouble securing U.S. distribution to be even in contention, serious contention, for an Oscar.

And I hope it speaks to Hollywood, and not just Hollywood, but just the -- throughout the industry, throughout the country a willingness to look certain realities of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the face, which is what this movie bravely does.

And so I really applaud the choice.

I think Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra gave the best, most important, most searingly political speech of the night.

And I hope that "No Other Land" is as widely seen as it deserves to be.

STEPHANIE SY: Justin Chang, the film critic at "The New Yorker."

Thanks so much for sharing your take with us, Justin.

JUSTIN CHANG: Thank you for having me, Stephanie.

Always a pleasure.