Sean Baker delivered a "battle cry" to save cinemas as he picked up the Best Director prize at the Academy Awards on Sunday (March 2).
The 54-year-old filmmaker picked up his third prize of the night for Anora, after wins for Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing, to take the statuette ahead of Brady Corbet (The Brutalist), James Mangold (A Complete Unknown), Jacques Audiard (Emilia Perez) and Coralie Fargeat (The Substance) and used his speech to call for the protection of the movie-going experience.
Accepting the award from Quentin Tarantino at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre, he said: "Wow, OK, Quentin if you didn't cast Mikey Madison in Once Upon a Time... there would be no Anora. Thank you so much, and for all your incredible work.
"I'm gonna take the time up here really quick to read something I'm very passionate about.
"First off, thank you to the Academy, this means so much. Thank you to my fellow nominees, your films are incredible and it's an honour to be in this category with you.
"We're all here tonight and watching this broadcast because we love movies. Where did we fall in love with the movies? At the movie theatre. Watching a film in a theatre with an audience is an experience we can laugh together, cry together, scream, perhaps sit in devastated silence together.
"And in a time in which the world can feel divided, this is more important than ever. It's a communal experience you simply don't get at home.
"Right now, the theatre-going experience is under threat. Movie theatres, especially independently owned theatres are struggling and it's up to us to support them.
"During the pandemic, we lost nearly 1,000 screens in the US and we continue to lose them regularly. If we don't reverse this trend, we'll be losing a vital part of our culture.
"This is my battle cry — filmmakers, keep making films for the big screen. I know I will.
"Distributors, please focus first and foremost on the theatrical releases of your films. Neon did that for me, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
"Parents, introduce your children to feature films in movie theatres and you'll be moulding the next generation of movie-lovers and filmmakers.
"And for all of us, when we can, please watch movies in the theatre and let's keep the great tradition of the movie-going experience alive and well."
Sean ended his speech by dedicating his win to his mom.
He said: "One last thing, my mother introduced me to the cinema at five years old. Today is also her birthday. Happy birthday mom, I love you, thank you for everything. This is for you."
Source: Bang
