The most significant controversy at the ceremony was barely noticed What had initially looked like one of the most wide-open Academy Awards in history turned out to be nothing of the kind. Indie director Sean Baker’s twisted romantic comedy Anora — about a sex worker who marries an oligarch’s son — had won the Palme d’Or at Cannes last year. After various twists and turns, it asserted its front-runner status once again, as Baker took four awards — Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original