Watch: Sean Baker’s Rousing Oscars Speech Tribute to Film Theaters
by Alex Billington
March 3, 2025
Supply: YouTube
“The place did we fall in love with the films? On the movie show.” Yep! This is a vital speech for film lovers. You will have heard it already throughout the Academy Awards presentation, or you might have already watched the video of his speech, however we’re sharing it once more (view under) – simply because it deserves to be shared and heard and repeated. For 20 years, FirstShowing has been a vacation spot working in help of, reinforcing, encouraging, and celebrating the theatrical expertise and all of the magic and glory that comes with watching films in film theaters. It is nonetheless as exhilarating as ever. All the things might have been disrupted through the pandemic, however film theaters have re-opened, they’re exhibiting nice films once more on a regular basis, and the theatrical expertise continues to be as transferring because it has at all times been. Anora director Sean Baker received 4 (!!) Academy Awards final evening – throughout his third win, for Finest Director, he took the time to present a speech about film theaters and why they nonetheless matter. It’s a rousing, uplifting, very important speech and one in all my favourite speeches of the evening (together with Kieran, No Different Land, Brody, Stream). Bravo for saying all of this.
Each final phrase of this speech is essential and highly effective. “Watching a movie in a theater with an viewers is an expertise. We are able to chortle collectively, cry collectively, scream in fright collectively, maybe sit in devastated silence collectively. And in a time wherein the world can really feel very divided, that is extra essential than ever. It is a communal expertise you merely do not get at residence.” Yep. All of this. Preach, Sean! “That is my battle cry! Filmmakers – preserve making movies for the large display. I do know I’ll. Distributors – please focus first & foremost on the theatrical releases of your movies… Neon did that for me, and I thanks from the underside of my coronary heart. Mother and father, introduce your kids to characteristic movies in film theaters, and you will be molding the subsequent era of film lovers and filmmakers. And for all of us, after we can, please watch films within the theater. And let’s preserve the nice custom of the movie-going expertise alive and properly.” I could not agree extra with the whole lot on this speech. I am getting all emotional simply writing about it once more. What a second. What a powerful win! For Sean Baker, for Anora, for impartial movies, for the nice Neon, for all of cinema, and for the theatrical expertise. Huzzah! Now go watch Anora for those who nonetheless have not seen it.
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