Sean Baker edits, directs and writes most of his films and has also served as producer and cinematographer for some. Wearing all of these hats paid off and led him to make history at the 2025 Oscars.

Sean Baker has won best director at the Oscars for “Anora,” the story of a Brooklyn exotic dancer who marries the impetuous son of a Russian oligarch.

Zoe Saldaña won the Oscar for supporting actress for her role as an attorney for a cartel leader in Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” and paid tribute to the cast and her own family in an emotional speech. Saldaña shouted out the “Emilia Pérez” cast in her Oscar acceptance speech, saying “Thank you to the Academy, …