IN THE CINÉMA CLUB OF… SEAN BAKER
Sean Baker is one of the foremost American filmmakers, having recently won the Palme d’Or for Anora — a spirited Brighton Beach-set thrill-ride about an exotic dancer (a marvelous Mikey Madison) who marries the son of a Russian oligarch (a goofy Mark Edelshteyn). He received a B.A. in film studies from New York University and has continually made films about sex workers and undocumented immigrants, combining a compassionate gaze with a dynamic storytelling and striking visuals. In 2013, he won the Robert Altman Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards for Starlet. His next two films — Tangerine (2015) and The Florida Project (2017) — were lauded by critics and audiences alike. More recently, his film Red Rocket screened in competition at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and his new film Anora has garnered critical approval and popular acclaim.
Anora is now playing in theaters.
THE IDIOTS, Lars Von Trier, 1998
The film that gave me permission to start over.
OASIS, Lee Chang-Dong, 2002
Everybody has the right to fall in love.
THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE, Joseph Sargent, 1974
The ensemble cast to die for and the blueprint for how to shoot NYC.
NIGHTS OF CABIRIA, Federico Fellini, 1957
I want to cut a new trailer to this film to Janelle Monáe & Kelly Clarkson's” Unbreakable.”
MIAMI CONNECTION, Woo-Sang Park and Y.K. Kim, 1987
Because life is too short to be taken too seriously.