Sean Baker - Putting in the Work for a Quarter of a Century

It was at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015, when I first heard of Sean Baker. I had the privilege of being in the audience for his world premiere of Tangerine (which every independent filmmaker should make a point to watch). Armed with only a dream, a great screenplay, a budget of $100,000, and a bunch of iPhones (yes, this was the first successful feature film to be shot entirely with iPhones), this film left me feeling so inspired by the power of what independent film could be and do. I met Sean briefly and was able to gush to him personally about how moved I was by Tangerine. I remember catching up with my friend Darren Dean (Tangerine’s producer) on Main Street just a few days later, as he was quite literally running between meetings, fielding offers from distributors. It was thrilling. It was every independent filmmaker’s dream; to be a Sundance Darling. I was, from that standing-ovation Sundance screening forward, a big Sean Baker fan.

Sean Baker’s Oscar wins with Anora ($6M budget) are a testament to independent film - and for tenacity and grit. Over the last 10 years he made two other films before Anora, The Florida Project ($2M) and Red Rocket ($1.1M) – and he made another four features before Tangerine, starting back in 2000 with Four Letter Words ($50K). That’s 25 years of films, averaging about one film every 3 years. He paid his dues for a quarter of a century. He stayed true to his artistic vision, producing all 8 feature films independently. He committed to his dream. He put in the work. And last night he didn’t just win an Oscar – he became the first person in history to win 4 Oscars for the same film (plus a 5^th Oscar to his star Mikey Madison for Best Actress)!

Congratulations, Sean Baker, and thank you for all you have done for independent film!

Hollywood showed us last night that it’s ready for more independent voices in cinema.

Indie Filmmakers, unite! Lights, camera, action - let’s get to work!