SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) - The new film Anora, which won the coveted Palme d'Or award at this year's Cannes Film Festival, screened at the Lucas Theatre in Savannah as part of the 'Signature Screenings' at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival on Tuesday.
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 29: (L-R) Clayton Davis and Mikey Madison speak onstage at the "Anora" Q&A during the 27th SCAD Savannah Film Festival on October 29, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SCAD)
The film tells the story of Anora, a young exotic dancer living in Brighton Beach. She falls in love and marries Vanya Zakharov, the rascal son of a Russian oligarch. Their love is forbidden by Vanya's powerful family and when his mother's hired hands try to forcefully annul their marriage, he flees. Anora and Zakharov's goons must find Vanya and end the marriage so that his parents can return the boy to his native country.
Lead actress Mikey Madison and Variety Magazine's Senior Awards Editor Clayton Davis joined the sold-out audience, which included students and movie lovers alike.
Davis led a Q&A with Madison soon after she received the Breakthrough Award for her performance in the film. There, he lauded the film as an "homage to Pretty Woman," but, "imagine if Richard Gere was a Russian drug lord."
The film is a product of writer-director Sean Baker, whose films are familiar screenings at the festival. Madison spoke about being seen by Baker in 2022's Scream and having been approached with the pitch for Anora.
"If you like it, I'll write it for you," Baker told her.
Anora was released in limited theatres on October 18. A wide theatrical and streaming release is expected in the coming weeks, though no dates have been announced at this time.
Click here to watch the trailer for the film.