‘Anora’ Becomes Third Cannes’ Palme d’Or Winner to Nab Best Picture

While this year’s Oscars marked a victory for U.S. independent moviemaking with Sean Baker’s “Anora” nabbing four major awards, including best picture, it’s also a big win for the French Riviera-set Cannes Film Festival.

Through “Anora,” “Emilia Perez,” “The Substance” and “Flow,” the Cannes Film Festival collected a record nine statuettes out of 31 nominations; largely ahead of Venice Film Festival with Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here” which won best international feature film, and three nods for Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” including best actor for Adrien Brody.

“Anora,” which also won best director, best actress for Mikey Madison, original screenplay and editing, is only the third Palme d’Or winner to have won best picture at the Oscars, after Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” in 2019, and Delbert Mann’s “Marty,” a New-York based crowdpleaser with Ernest Borgnine, in 1955. Willy Wilder’s “The Lost Weekend” also won the top prize at Cannes in 1945, although at the time it wasn’t called the Palme d’Or but the Grand Prize. Other American Palme d’Or winners such as Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” and Terrence Malik’s “The Tree of Life” didn’t go as far. The first got best screenplay for Tarantino and Roger Avary; and the second earned three Oscar nominations but didn’t win.

Coralie Fargeat’s bold “The Substance,” which also premiered in competition at Cannes, won for best makeup and hairstyling. While it missed out on winning best actress for Demi Moore, “The Substance” broke ground as the first genre movie to earn five Oscar nominations in major categories and established Fargeat as a visionary filmmaker whose next move will be closely watched. Released by Mubi, “The Substance” also became a hit in theaters, grossing over $78 million worldwide, even luring audiences who aren’t into genre.

Before “The Substance,” another French director, Julia Ducournau’s body horror “Titane” won the Palme d’Or but didn’t get shortlisted in the international feature film race after being submitted by France’s Oscar committee.

Another movie that beat the odds this year after premiering at Cannes in 2024 was “Flow,” Gints Zibalodis’s Latvian animated film about a solitary cat’s journey which won over Disney heavyweights such as “Inside Out 2.” The silent movie won a prize at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard and also won at a Golden Globe, among a flurry of prizes.

Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez,” which collected two awards at Cannes, saw its Oscar campaign implode after Karla Sofia Gascon’s offensive tweets were discovered, but it still managed to win best supporting actress for Zoe Saldana and best song for “El Mal” from Camille and Clement Ducol. “Emilia Perez” also won seven nods at France’s Cesar Awards on Friday, including best film and director, despite the controversy over the film’s depiction of Mexico and Gascon’s tweets.

Cannes, whose lineup is curated by longtime artistic director and general delegate Thierry Fremaux, has been on a hot streak over the past few years. In 2024, the festival was behind three prizes out of 26 nominations at the Oscars, leading with Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winning “Anatomy of a Fall” which won best original screenplay, while “The Zone of Interest” took home best international feature film and best sound. Other recent and notable Oscar winners that premiered at Cannes include Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car.”

The presence of international movies at the Oscars reflects the growing contingent of AMPAS voters outside of the U.S. which is estimated to represent roughly 30% of members. Still, the triumph of “Anora” over some its international rival for best picture signals voters’ desire to champion U.S. independent cinema that has faced struggles over filming, financing and theatrical prospects in recent years.

The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will take place May 13-24, and the lineup is expected to be unveiled during the second or third week of April. As previously announced, Juliette Binoche will preside over the competition jury and Brazil will be the country of honor at the Cannes Film Market.