Oscar favorite ‘Anora’ wins best film, director and actor at the Independent Spirit Awards

Sean Baker's “Anora” won best film, best director and best actor for Mikey Madison at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday in what could be a preview of next Sunday’s Oscars: The film about a Brooklyn sex worker and her whirlwind affair with a Russian oligarch’s son has emerged in recent weeks as an awards season front-runner.

The Spirit Awards, held in a beachside tent in Santa Monica, California, is the shaggier, more irreverent sister to the Academy Awards, celebrating the best in independent film and television.

Host Aidy Bryant called it “Hollywood’s third or fourth biggest night.”

In accepting the directing prize, Baker spoke passionately about the difficulty of making independent films in an industry that is no longer able to fund riskier films. He said indies are in danger of becoming calling card films — movies made only as a means to get hired for bigger projects.

“The system has to change because this is simply unsustainable,” Baker said to enthusiastic applause. “We shouldn't be barely getting by.”

“Anora’s” best film competition included Jane Schoenbrun’s psychological horror “I Saw the TV Glow,” RaMell Ross’ adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s “Nickel Boys,” Greg Kwedar’s incarceration drama “Sing Sing” and Coralie Fargeat’s body horror “The Substance.”

This year had several other possible Oscar winners celebrating. Kieran Culkin, considered an Oscar favorite, won the supporting performance award for “A Real Pain.” His director, co-star and writer Jesse Eisenberg won best screenplay for the film about two cousins embarking on a Holocaust tour in Poland.

Culkin was not there to accept — he also missed his BAFTA win last weekend to tend to a family member — but other Oscar nominees like Madison and Demi Moore were.

Madison won the top acting prize over Moore at the BAFTAs last weekend, as well, and stopped Saturday to pet Moore's dog Pilaf on the way to the stage. Acting categories for the Spirit Awards are gender neutral and include 10 spots each, meaning Madison and Moore were up against Oscar nominees like Colman Domingo (“Sing Sing”) and Sebastian Stan (“The Apprentice”).

The documentary prize went to “No Other Land,” the lauded film by a Palestinian-Israeli collective about the destruction of a village in the West Bank which doesn’t have distribution. It’s also a strong Oscar contender in a competitive category. The filmmakers were not in attendance to accept the award.

“Flow,” the wordless animated Latvian cat film, won best international film. At the Oscars, it's competing in the international film category and animation.

While the Spirit Award winners don’t always sync up with the academy, they can often reflect a growing consensus as in the “Everything Everywhere All At Once” year. The awards limit eligibility to productions with budgets of $30 million or less, meaning more expensive Oscar nominees like “Wicked” and “Dune: Part Two” were not in the running.

Sean Wang accepted best first feature and best first screenplay prizes for “Dìdi.” He said it was special to be sharing the stage with one of his stars, Joan Chen, who was also nominated for the same award 25 years ago for “Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl.”

The Netflix phenomenon “Baby Reindeer” also picked up several prizes, for actors Richard Gadd, Jessica Gunning and Nava Mau.

Mau, who is trans, spoke about the importance of actors sticking together “as we move into this next chapter.”

“We don’t know what is going to happen, but we do know our power,” Mau said. “We are the people and our labor is everything.”

Other television winners included “Shōgun,” for best new scripted series, and “How to Die Alone,” for best ensemble.

“How to Die Alone” creator and star Natasha Rothwell was emotional while accepting the ensemble prize. The show was recently canceled after its first season.

Rothwell said it was “a show about the need to feel seen, to be valued just as you are.”

“For Black stories, visibility isn’t a privilege: It is a necessity,” Rothwell said. “We deserve to take up space, to be complex, to be hilarious and to be fully human.”

The generally lighthearted show took a moment to acknowledge the impact of the wildfires on Los Angeles. Bryant made a plea to anyone watching the show, in the audience or on the YouTube livestream, to help rebuild L.A. She pointed to a QR code that appeared on the livestream to make donations to the Film Independent Emergency Filmmaker Relief Fund, providing grants to alumni impacted by the wildfires.

The show also paid tribute to longtime Film Independent president Josh Welsh, who died earlier this year at age 62. Welsh had colon cancer.

Bryant said in her opening that it had been a “great year for film and a bad year for human life.” The “Saturday Night Live” alum kicked off the event ribbing some of the nominees, like Emma Stone.

“Emma was a producer on four nominated projects tonight,” Bryant said. “But even more importantly, her hair is short now.”

Stone also featured prominently in Eisenberg’s speech, when he picked up the best screenplay prize for “A Real Pain.” Since they met on the set of “Zombieland” in 2009, he said, she’s been supportive of his writing despite being “the most famous person I know” and produced both of his films.

“I think of her not as my producer, but as a fairy godmother, like I’m riding the coattails for her goodwill,” Eisenberg said.

The camera cut to Stone, teary and moved, in the audience. She and her husband Dave McCary’s production company Fruit Tree also produced Julio Torres’ “Problemista” and “Fantasmas” and Schoenbrun’s “I Saw the TV Glow.”

“I Saw the TV Glow” went into the show tied with “Anora” with six nominations. It left with only one, for producer Sarah Winshall.

Aaron Schimberg, left, and Adam Pearson arrive at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Richard Gadd accepts the award for best lead performance in a new scripted series for "Baby Reindeer"during the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Alex Coco, center, accepts the award for best feature for "Anora" during the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. Joining him onstage, from left, are Sean Baker, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Mark Eydelshteyn, Mikey Madison, Samantha Quan and Yura Borisov. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Sean Baker accepts the award for best director for "Anora" during the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Mikey Madison accepts the award for best lead performance for "Anora" during the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Maisy Stella accepts the award for best breakthrough performance during the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Nava Mau accepts the award for best supporting performance in a new scripted series for "Baby Reindeer" during the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Jessica Gunning accepts the award for best breakthrough performance in a new scripted series for "Baby Reindeer" during the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Arielle Zakowski, from left, Samuel Davis, Joan Chen, , Izac Wang, Sean Wang, and Carlos Lopez Estrada accept the best first feature award for "Didi" during the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Jesse Eisenberg accepts the award for best screenplay for "A Real Pain" during the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Arkie Kandola, from left, Chris Powell, Jaylee Hamidi, Michelle McLeod, Natasha Rothwell, Elle Lorraine and KeiLyn Durrel Jones accept the award for best ensemble cast in a new scripted series for "How to Die Alone" during the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Host Aidy Bryant, left, and Karren Karagulian appear onstage during the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Justin Simien accepts the best new non-scripted or documentary series award for "Hollywood Black" during the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Moeka Hoshi, from left, Hiroto Kanai, Justin Marks, Tadanobu Asano and Rachel Kondo accept the award for best new scripted series for "Shogun" during the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Sean Baker arrives at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Alex Coco, from left, Sean Baker and Samantha Quan arrive at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Host Aidy Bryant speaks during the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Mark Eydelshteyn, from left, Molly Shannon and Yuriy Borisov arrive at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Mikey Madison arrives at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Elizabeth Olsen, left, and Emma Stone arrive at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Emma Stone arrives at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Jack Haven arrives at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Nava Mau, left, and Hunter Schafer arrive at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Hunter Schafer arrives at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Host Aidy Bryant arrives at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Sebastian Stan arrives at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Colman Domingo arrives at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Demi Moore arrives at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)