Have You Seen 'ANORA'?

At Cannes Film Festival in 2024, the catchphrase among filmmakers was,

"Have you seen 'Anora'?" This was because many people missed it. Every

screening venue had a queue and was packed to capacity. Luckily, I was

able to get into the press conference, which also had a long line. The director

and screenwriter is Sean Baker, who enjoys overwhelming support from the

younger generation. The lead actress is Mikey Madison. Since this film won

the Palme d'Or at Cannes, she has gained significant attention. At the Cannes

press conference, because she played a stripper who sells her body for money,

she faced some rather provocative questions. She is an intelligent woman raised

in California, and while she seemed a little taken aback, she answered with

satisfaction, "Filming with Sean was very comfortable." This film went straight

on to nominate an Academy Award.

Sean Baker then only wrote a screenplay and made a short film starring

Michelle Yeoh. Having reached the Academy Awards race, he seemed to have

paused to leisurely plan his next project. He had said, "I want to take it easy

for a while."

Takako Imai

Sean Baker and Mikey Madison