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Anora film image; woman dancing in club under purple lighting

Sex and money: they make the world go round and Sean Baker’s movies spin. Usually, there’s more of the former than the latter, in Tangerine, The Florida Project, and Red Rocket. And here again, Ani (Mikey Madison), a stripper, will trade what she has—which is sex—for what she needs—which is money. Enter Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), the guileless son of a Russian oligarch, who’s not just an easy mark, he’s richer than even Ani can dream of. These two meet and it’s fireworks and fairytales—cue a Vegas wedding—at least until his parents get wind of it. At which point, watch out, because Mr. Baker is just getting warmed up.

Greta Gerwig’s Cannes jury bestowed the Palme d’Or on this breathless modern Cinderella story, and it’s hard to remember a more entertaining winner. As always with Baker’s films, Anora comes on fast and funny but it’s unmistakably situated in the real world, a place where power typically trumps romance, but where you should never underestimate the survival skills of a woman with nothing to lose.

It’s a crowd-pleaser, funny and sexy and raucous, while also being startlingly wise and tender.

Dana Stevens, Slate

Anora is boundlessly alive with a quality we’ve seen continually in the movies of Sean Baker, among the most humanist filmmakers working today. There is joy next to sadness. There is comedy inside a tragedy.

Tomris Laffly, rogerebert.com

Director

Sean Baker

Cast

Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Karren Karagulian, Yura Borisov, Vache Tovmasyan

Credits
Country of Origin

USA

Year

2024

Language

In English and Russian with English subtitles

Awards

Palme d’Or, Cannes 2024

6 Academy Awards Nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director & Best Original Screenplay

19+
138 min
Cre Film

Book Tickets

Tuesday February 18

3:00 pm
Closed Captioning Hearing Assistance Subtitles
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
Book Now

Wednesday February 19

2:30 pm
Closed Captioning Hearing Assistance Subtitles
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
Book Now

Credits

Executive Producer

Ken Meyer, Clay Pecorin, Glen Basner, Alison Cohen, Milan Popelka

Producer

Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan

Screenwriter

Sean Baker

Cinematography

Drew Daniels

Editor

Sean Baker

Production Design

Stephen Phelps

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