Sean S. Baker

Sean Baker (born February 26, 1971) is an American filmmaker. He is a director, writer, editor, and producer of independent narrative feature films which are most often about the lives of marginalized people, especially immigrants and sex workers. He made his directorial film debut with ''Four Letter Words'' (2000) and co-created the television character ''Greg the Bunny''. Baker has since directed seven feature films: ''Take Out'' (2004), ''Prince of Broadway'' (2008), '' Starlet'' (2012), ''Tangerine'' (2015), ''The Florida Project'' (2017), '' Red Rocket'' (2021), and ''Anora'' (2024).

Baker has received several accolades. For ''Anora'', he received the Palme d'Or and, alongside his wife Samantha Quan, the British Academy Film Award for Best Casting. At the 97th Academy Awards, Baker won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing. He is the first person to individually win four Oscars for the same film in a single ceremony.

Early life and education

Baker was born in Summit, New Jersey. He grew up in the Short Hills area of Millburn and in Branchburg, New Jersey. His mother was a teacher and his father was a patent attorney, who once represented Baker and his production company in a dispute over the title of his film ''Take Out''. Baker has a sister who is a professional synth-pop musician and a production designer, who has contributed to his films in both capacities.

Baker became obsessed with homemade movies at a young age after his mother took him to see Universal Monster films being shown at the local library. While attending Gill St. Bernard's High School ('89) in Somerset and Morris counties, Baker worked as a projectionist at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair. He also worked as a taxi driver during his college years. He received his BFA degree in film studies from New York University through the Tisch School of the Arts. He was scheduled to receive his degree in 1992, but dropped out to get experience making industrial films and TV commercials before returning to graduate in 1998. He also studied non-linear editing at The New School in Greenwich Village in Manhattan.

Career

2000–2014: Directorial debut and early work

Baker's first feature film was ''Four Letter Words'' (2000), a film revolving around the looks, views, attitudes, and language of young men in America. He wrote, directed, and edited the film. Baker is one of the original creators of the sitcom ''Greg the Bunny'' (2002–2006), starring Seth Green and Eugene Levy. It is based on a series of short segments which Baker directed and wrote. The series aired on the Independent Film Channel and was in turn derived from a public-access television show called ''Junktape''. In 2010, Baker, Spencer Chinoy, and Dan Milano created a spinoff called ''Warren the Ape''; the series aired on MTV and was canceled after one season.

He made ''Take Out'' (2004), which he co-wrote, co-directed, co-edited, and co-produced with frequent collaborator Shih-Ching Tsou on a budget of $3000. The film revolves around an undocumented Chinese immigrant falling behind on payments on a smuggling debt, leaving him only one day to come up with the money. The film's world premiere was at the Slamdance Film Festival in Los Angeles on January 18, 2004. After it was screened at over 25 film festivals a legal dispute with Seth Landau, who was planning to release a film with the same name, delayed its release until June 6, 2008.

Baker's third feature film, ''Prince of Broadway'', premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 22, 2008. The film follows a Ghanaian immigrant selling knock-off merchandise in Manhattan who discovers that he has a son. He directed, wrote, co-produced, shot, and edited the film. Baker also self-financed the distribution and advertising of the film. ''Take Out'' and ''Prince of Broadway'' were nominated for the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award at the same ceremony in 2008. Baker next directed '' Starlet'', which was co-written with Chris Bergoch, and stars Dree Hemingway and Besedka Johnson. ''Starlet'' explores the unlikely friendship between 21-year-old Jane (Hemingway) and 85-year-old Sadie (Johnson), two women whose lives intersect in California's San Fernando Valley. The world premiere for the film was at SXSW on March 11, 2012 and it was given a limited release on November 9, 2012.

2015–2022: Breakthrough and acclaim

Baker’s next film, ''Tangerine'' centers a transgender sex worker who discovers her boyfriend and pimp has been cheating on her. The film was shot using three iPhone 5S smartphones, and received praise for its groundbreaking filmmaking techniques."Beyond using progressive filming techniques and casting, Tangerine is expressive and warm"
. ''Nashville Scene'', By Jason Shawhan ''Tangerine'' features Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian, Mickey O'Hagan, and James Ransone, and it was executive-produced by Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass. Baker again co-wrote the script with Bergoch; Baker co-produced, co-shot, and edited the film. It had its world premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2015, and was given a limited release on July 10, 2015. It received extremely positive reviews, and holds a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

In 2016, Baker directed ''Snowbird'', a short fashion film starring model Abbey Lee for Kenzo. It was also shot only using iPhones. His sixth major feature film, ''The Florida Project'', premiered in the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and was theatrically released in the United States on October 6, 2017, by A24. Baker edited the film himself and co-wrote the script with his frequent collaborator Chris Bergoch. The plot follows a 6-year-old girl living in a motel with her rebellious mother in Greater Orlando as they try to stay out of trouble and make ends meet. The film was praised for its performances (particularly that of Willem Dafoe as the motel manager and Brooklynn Prince as Moonee, a six-year-old girl) as well as for Baker's direction, and was chosen by both the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute as one of the top 10 films of the year. Dafoe earned Best Supporting Actor nominations at the Oscars, Golden Globes and BAFTA Awards, and Prince won the Critics Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer.

In June 2018, Baker was invited to be a member of the directors and writers branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In October 2018, he was the head of the film jury at the Mumbai International Film Festival in Mumbai, India.

In March 2021, Baker released short film ''Khaite FW21'' produced for fashion line Khaite to promote its Fall/Winter 2021 lineup. Sean Price Williams served as cinematographer.

Baker directed the feature film, '' Red Rocket'' which stars Simon Rex as Mikey, a pornographic actor returning to his hometown in Texas. Baker directed, co-wrote and co-produced the film with his usual team of Bergoch and Tsou among others. Filming took place in secret amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, but "industry-standard safety protocols" were observed. The film received a standing ovation at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. It was released in the US by A24 on December 10.

In 2022, Baker directed a Taco Bell commercial. He was the executive producer on ''Love in the Time of Fentanyl'', a documentary which premiered at the DOXA Documentary Film Festival in May 2022.

2023–present: ''Anora'' and accolades

In October 2023, his next feature film ''Anora'', starring Mikey Madison, was officially announced after distribution rights were acquired by FilmNation. At a press conference during the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where the film premiered, Baker spoke about the topic of intimacy coordinators: "I think with intimacy coordination, it's a case-by-case basis, film by film basis. If an actor requests one, 100% ..But I have directed approximately 10 sex scenes throughout my career, and I'm very comfortable doing so. It is our No. 1 priority to keep our actors safe, protected, comfortable and involved in the process". For ''Anora'', Baker became the first American director to win the Palme d'Or since Terrence Malick in 2011. In 2025, Baker won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Editing. He matched Walt Disney's record for most Oscars won by a single person in one night and became the first person to win four Oscars for a single film.

In 2025, Baker served as co-writer, producer and editor on ''Left-Handed Girl'' directed by frequent collaborator Shih-Ching Tsou, which will premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the Critics' Week section.

Prospective projects

With regards to developing multiple projects at the same time, Baker has stated he "can't creatively juggle." He elaborated that after the success of ''The Florida Project'', he received offers from various studios and producers. "I was actually feeling very torn because I literally could not focus on one project while trying to develop nother" Encouraged by advice from Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier, Baker left a television series that had been greenlit and began working on his next film instead, which was then cancelled as result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The latter was described as an "ambitious" character-driven drama set against the backdrop of the opioid epidemic. Baker likened the project to the 2008 biopic ''Milk''. "It's too big of a movie. ..I need dhundreds of people to be on the street, marching and stuff, and that ouldn'thappen."

In August 2018, Baker mused shooting another project back-to-back as the planned drug activist film. Little else is known other than that he expected to write it with co-collaborator Chris Bergoch, and that it would be a contemporary piece potentially set outside the U.S. He explained that while the setting might be international, the film would still serve as a commentary on American issues. Baker also revealed ambitions to someday direct an action film, emphasizing the need for a strong script that would combine action with socio-political themes, and cited ''Sorcerer'' as a model example.

In August 2020, actress Bella Thorne announced that Baker would be directing a documentary about her experiences opening an OnlyFans account, but he quickly denied the rumor as Thorne's suspicious behavior was blamed for restrictions affecting all sex workers on the site.

As of December 2021, Baker was reportedly prepping a potential television series spinoff of his 2015 film ''Tangerine''. He was inspired to do a TV show version of ''Tangerine'' as a way to help propel the career of trans actress Mya Taylor, who would play the lead in the project. In terms of franchise films, Baker has expressed interest in ''Fast & Furious'', stating that he would jump at the chance to direct one because he'd "be able to play with cars and crashes."

In July 2023, Baker stated that a career goal of his was to work with erotic film actress Laura Gemser, expressing his desire to bring her back into the limelight and cast her as the lead in a film of his.

At the Cannes 2024 press conference for ''Anora'', Baker stated that his next film would also involve a sex worker. "Just wait for the next one," he said later that year. "It's gonna piss the whole industry off." On a January 2025 podcast episode, Baker revealed that he " ants towork" performer Sandy Kane, who had a bit part in ''The Florida Project'', into his next film somehow. He also acknowledged his tendency to "eanmore into comedy" with each new film, and that his follow-up to ''Anora'' would carry on in that tradition. He planned to begin location scouting for the project as early as April 2025, giving no official details but teasing that "it might have a Jonathan Demme feel." However, by June, he would express uncertainty in choosing a follow-up project; "I'm still exploring some ideas."

Personal life

Baker is married to Samantha Quan, a producer on three of his films. As of July 2021, they have two dogs, Bunsen and Boonee, the latter of whom played the titular character in his 2012 film ''Starlet''. Boonee died in 2023. Baker said at a 2024 press conference in Cannes, France, that he believes sex work should be " decriminalized and not in any way regulated, because it's a sex worker's body and it's up to them to decide how they will use it in their livelihood." Baker was an opiate addict in his 20s.

Style and influences

Baker has established a reputation for portraying outcasts and characters from underrepresented and marginalized subcultures, frequently undocumented immigrants and sex workers, in decidedly humane and compassionate scenarios. He claims to have been directly inspired by exploitation films but has been described as the archetype of a "trustworthy male director" in a post Me Too era. His films have stirred and encouraged a debate about sexual morality.

Baker's influences include Ken Loach, Spike Lee, Federico Fellini, Jim Jarmusch, Mike Leigh, Steven Spielberg, Éric Rohmer, Lars Von Trier, John Cassavetes, and Hal Ashby among others. Baker has said that he consciously includes Easter egg references to other movies in his filmography. For example, a billboard advertising a performance by the character named Strawberry from ''Red Rocket'' can be seen near the end of ''Anora''.

Filmography

Film

Executive producer
* '' Love in the Time of Fentanyl'' (2022)
* '' The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed'' (2023)
* ''Modern Whore'' (TBA)

Short film

Television

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Sean
1971 births
American cinematographers
American film editors
American male television writers
American television writers
American television directors
Best Casting BAFTA Award winners
Directors of Palme d'Or winners
Film directors from New Jersey
Film directors from New York (state)
Gill St. Bernard's School alumni
Living people
Writers from Summit, New Jersey
Screenwriters from New Jersey
Tisch School of the Arts alumni
People from Branchburg, New Jersey
Writers from Millburn, New Jersey
Writers Guild of America Award winners
Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners
Best Film Editing Academy Award winners
Best Directing Academy Award winners
Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award
Directors of Best Picture Academy Award winners
Writers from Somerset County, New Jersey
American taxi drivers
Projectionists