Anora director Sean Baker continued his winning streak as he nabbed a top honor at the Writers Guild Of America Awards this week.

The guild held twin ceremonies Saturday night, one at the Edison Ballroom in New York City and one at the iconic Beverly Hilton H๏τel in Beverly Hills.

Showbiz names galore flocked to whichever ceremony was closest to them in order to be feted for their work writing for the screen.

Baker, 53, who wrote Anora as well as directing it, glowed as he hit the stage at the New York event to collect the prize for best original screenplay.

His triumph comes a week after he won best picture at the Directors Guild Of America Awards, the Producers Guild Of America Awards and the Critics Choice Awards. 

Now he has added another gong to his list, three days before voting closes at the Oscars, where he has also racked up multiple nominations including best picture. 

Anora director Sean Baker continued his winning streak as he nabbed a top honor at the Writers Guild Of America Awards this week

Anora stars Mikey Madison as the тιтle character, a New York stripper of Russian descent who is able to haltingly speak the Russian language.

Her linguistic ability causes her to fall in with a Russian oligarch’s spoiled son, triggering a string of madcap misadventures.

Read More DGA Awards 2025: Anora’s Sean Baker wins top prize while Emilia Perez director gives shock Karla Sofia Gascon shout-out

Mikey and her co-star, the smoldering Russian actor Yura Borisov, have both earned Oscar nominations for their role in the picture.

Baker is also up for best director, best original screenplay and best picture, among the several nods the movie has received.

The independent filmmaker, who also won last year’s Palme d’Or at Cannes for Anora, was the image of good cheer as he accepted his trophy.

Jesse Eisenberg, who had been nominated against Baker for his own new movie A Real Pain, still got to take the stage in New York as one of the presenters.

He presented Joslyn Barnes with best adapted screenplay for Nickel Boys in New York – while Barnes’ co-writer RaMell Ross accepted the same prize in Beverly Hills. 

Based on the 2019 novel The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, the film takes place as at abusive 1960s reform school in Florida.

Anora stars Mikey Madison as the тιтle character, a New York stripper of Russian descent who is able to haltingly speak the Russian language

Mikey and her co-star, the smoldering Russian actor Yura Borisov (pictured in the film), have both earned Oscar nominations for their role in the picture

Baker, 53, who wrote Anora as well as directing it, glowed as he hit the stage at the New York event to collect the prize for best original screenplay

The guild held twin ceremonies Saturday night, one at the Edison Ballroom in New York City and one at the iconic Beverly Hilton H๏τel in Beverly Hills

Jesse Eisenberg, who had been nominated against Baker for his own new movie A Real Pain, still got to take the stage in New York as one of the presenters

He presented Joslyn Barnes with best adapted screenplay for Nickel Boys in New York (pictured) – while Barnes’ co-writer RaMell Ross accepted the same prize in Beverly Hills

Ross was also the recipient of the honorary Paul Selvin Award, which is given to ‘that member whose script best embodies the spirit of the consтιтutional and civil rights and liberties…’

Denouncing the new Trump administration in his speech, Ross said: ‘The imagination is the most powerful form of resistance’

Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan won the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award For Television Writing Achievement Award

‘For decades we made the bad guys too Sєxy,’ he said, according to Variety: ‘Fictional bad guys stopped being the cautionary affairs that they were’

Shogun writers Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks were seen offstage proudly posing with their trophies after winning best TV drama series

Ross was also the recipient of the honorary Paul Selvin Award, which is given to ‘that member whose script best embodies the spirit of the consтιтutional and civil rights and liberties which are indispensable to the survival of free writers everywhere.’

Denouncing the new Trump administration in his speech, Ross said: ‘The imagination is the most powerful form of resistance. Let’s take courage from one another.’

Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan, who won the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award For Television Writing Achievement Award, also appeared to take aim at the new White House in his acceptance speech.

Despite having created one of the most famous antiheroes in the history of American TV in Breaking Bad lead Walter White, Gilligan intimated that the present political climate necessitated more positive protagonists in fiction. 

Meanwhile, in the TV comedy area, Joe Mande took the stage to accept the prize for Hacks, representing the many victorious writers of the series

The awards show welcomed a star-studded list of presenters, including Mad Men alumna Kiernan Shipka (left) and Mad Mike XXL hunk Joe Manganiello (right)

Kyle MacLachlan appeared onstage at the Beverly Hills fete to honor his late Twin Peaks director David Lynch with a posthumous Screen Laurel Award

‘For decades we made the bad guys too Sєxy. Fictional bad guys stopped being the cautionary affairs that they were,’ he said, according to Variety.

‘They became aspirational. So maybe what the world needs now are some good, old fashioned, Greatest Generation types who give more than they take.’

Shogun writers Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks were seen offstage proudly posing with their trophies after winning best TV drama series.

Meanwhile, in the TV comedy area, Joe Mande took the stage to accept the prize for Hacks, representing the many victorious writers of the series. 

The awards show welcomed a star-studded list of presenters, including Mad Men alumna Kiernan Shipka and Mad Mike XXL hunk Joe Manganiello. 

Kyle MacLachlan appeared onstage at the Beverly Hills fete to honor his late Twin Peaks director David Lynch with a posthumous Screen Laurel Award. 

2025 Writers Guild Awards Winners

Original Screenplay

A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg

Challengers – Justin Kuritzkes

Anora – Sean Baker (WINNER)

Challengers – Justin Kuritzkes

Civil War – Alex Garland

My Old ᴀss – by Megan Park

Documentary Screenplay

Jim Henson: Idea Man – Mark Monroe (WINNER)

Kiss the Future – Bill S. Carter

Martha – R.J. Cutler

War Game – Tony Gerber & Jesse Moss

Drama Series

The Boys – Geoff Aull, Jessica Chou, Paul Grellong, Eric Kripke, Ellie Monahan, Judalina Neira, David Reed, Anslem Richardson

The Diplomat – Peter Ackerman, Eli Attie, Debora Cahn, Anna Hagen, Julianna Dudley Meagher, Peter Noah

Fallout – Jake Bender, Karey Dornetto, Zach Dunn, Kieran Fitzgerald, Chaz Hawkins, Lisa Joy, Carson Mell, Jonathan Nolan, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Gursimran Sandhu, Graham Wagner

Mr. & Mrs. Smith – by Carla Ching, Adamma Ebo, Adanne Ebo, Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Schuyler Pappas, Francesca Sloane, Yvonne Hana Yi

Shogun – Shannon Goss, Maegan Houang, Rachel Kondo, Matt Lambert, Justin Marks, Caillin Puente, Nigel Williams, Emily Yoshida (WINNER)

Adapted Screenplay

A Complete Unknown – James Mangold and Jay Cocks, based on the book Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald

Dune: Part Two – Denis Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts, based on the novel Dune by Frank Herbert

Hit Man – Richard Linklater & Glen Powell, based on the Texas Monthly article by Skip Hollandsworth

Nickel Boys – RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes, based on the book The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (WINNER)

Wicked – by Winnie Holzman and Winnie Holzman & Dana Fox, Based on the musical stage play with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman, from the novel by Gregory Maguire

Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary – Quinta Brunson, Ava Coleman, Riley Dufurrena, Justin Halpern, Joya McCrory, Chad Morton, Morgan Murphy, Brittani Nichols, Rebekka Pesqueira, Kate Peterman, Brian Rubenstein, Patrick Schumacker, Justin Tan, Jordan Temple, Garrett Werner

The Bear – Karen Joseph Adcock, Joanna Calo, Rene Gube, Will Guidara, Matty Matheson, Alex Russell, Catherine Schetina, Christopher Storer, Courtney Storer

Curb Your Enthusiasm – Larry David, Jon Hayman, Justin Hurwitz, Carol Leifer, Stephen Leff, Jeff Schaffer, Nathaniel Stein

Hacks – Genevieve Aniello, Lucia Aniello, Guy Branum, Jessica Chaffin, Paul W. Downs, Jess Dweck, Ariel Karlin, Andrew Law, Carol Leifer, Carolyn Lipka, Joe Mande, Aisha Muharrar, Pat Regan, Samantha Riley, Jen Statsky (WINNER)