The Criterion Collection Scores With Writer/Director Sean Baker's Best Picture-Winner Anora (Full-Spread Physical Media Rollout On Apr. 29 And Preps Five New 4K Ultra HD Releases In May

The Criterion Collection scored a major physical media coup with producer/writer/director Sean Baker’s Best Picture Oscar-winner, Anora, which not only grabbed the gold statute for Best Picture, but Baker hit the trifecta with directing and writing wins as well.   

And Mikey Madison, as Sadie in Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in … Hollywood, won the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Anora “Ani” Mikheeva, a stripper who finds her “Prince Charming” (Mark Eydelshteyn) only to run afoul of Russian mob elements (his parents) who are willing to buy her off … but if that fails, there’s always Igor (Yura Borisov)!

Criterion will be delivering a full-spread physical media rollout on Apr. 29.   

The ARR is a long-in-the-tooth 193 days and the domestic box office take currently stands at $18.9 million.

A premium VOD window opened on Dec. 17, which has given the “Helper” community ample opportunity to peddle Blu-ray editions of their own to unsuspecting consumers.   To add insult to injury, HULU begins streaming Anora on St. Patrick’s Day.

Still, it is good to see an indie film win the gold … and it is nice to see Criterion handle the physical media distribution.    

Perhaps, they could also convince Apple TV to let them do the same for another Best Picture-winner, writer/director Sian Heder’s CODA, which has yet to see the light of day as either 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray or DVD product offerings (legitimately, of course the “Helpers” have had a field with mainly Blu-ray copies of their own)!

As to bonus features, there are two separate commentary options — one featuring filmmaker Sean Baker with producers Alex Coco and Samantha Quan, plus cinematographer Drew Daniels and the second teams Baker with cast members Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian and Vache Tovmasyan.

There are also deleted scenes, audition footage, a Q&A session with Madison and stripper-consultant Lindsey Normington, a making-off documentary and video sessions with both Baker and Madison.

In other release news from the Criterion Collection, the May release slate has been reveal, which features new 4K Ultra HD editions of director Norman Jewison’s In the Heat of the Night (May 6), director Jacques Demy’s 1964 film release of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (also May 6), writer/director Bruce Robinson’s Withnail and I (May 20), director Richard Lester’s The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers (a double-feature on May 27) and indie filmmaker Charles Burnett’s 1978 experimental film, Killer of Sheep (May 27).