Sean Baker, Cannes Palme d’Or winning director AnoraThe actor discussed the success of his latest film at a San Sebastian Film Festival event on Saturday and admitted he wouldn’t use the momentum to make a big-budget movie like Marvel’s.
Baker spoke to a packed house about his film – now Oscar-winning – which tells the story of Anora (Mike Madison), a young sex worker from Brooklyn who, when she meets And when she impulsively marries the son of an oligarch, she gets the chance to tell the story of Cinderella. But the fairy tale is threatened when her fiancé’s parents try to annul the marriage. This story compares to Julia Roberts’ Alternate State pretty Woman.
Baker’s follow-up red rocket, Anora Won high praise from Cannes film critics. The film got plenty of airtime ahead of awards season, premiering in Cannes before showing in Venice, TIFF and now San Sebastian.
“It was a dream come true and I was very excited,” Baker said of his Palme d’Or win. Star Wars Founder George Lucas. “I think because this happened in my career, I felt secure in the movies that I was making and happy with the movies that I was able to make, which basically allowed me to continue to make the movies that I wanted to make as I wanted. Make them the way you want.
When asked what doors becoming a Palme d’Or winner would open in the film industry, Baker vowed to keep making films about the little-known stories of the working class. “Essentially, I’m not trying to get a Marvel movie out of this,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to open studio doors with it, that was never and certainly isn’t my intention.”
The American filmmaker said it was difficult to make “this type of movie” especially in the United States. “I’m talking about films with challenging themes.” But it’s also about casting — Baker admits that he casts himself so that he has “complete control” — but he doesn’t consider A-Line in the process star. “First and foremost, I always think about who is best suited for the role.”
Baker talks about not siding with a single political point of view in his films because he fears alienating certain audiences. “You want to use movies to spark discussion among people who may have opposing views or different viewpoints,” he said. “If I’m preaching, that’s really just alienating everyone who doesn’t share that ideology… If I’m preaching To have politics in my films, they have to be subversive.
He called the political landscape in his native United States “extremely partisan.” “I’ve had an extreme love for my movies; Democracy Now! Loved it, Ben Shapiro loved it,” he said. So this is crazy. very good. I actually said, ‘Okay, we’re onto something. We are doing something.
Baker wrote, directed and edited Anora himself. He said he wished he had received more recognition for his editing work, but it was “ridiculous” that his own union would not allow him to be featured in the film’s title sequence “edited, written and directed by Sean Baker.” “Really, you’re finding the movie in the edit.”
Mikey Madison in “Anola.”
cannes film festival
But what got the audience laughing was when he discussed getting carried away with scoring decisions before seeking approval, even revealing that he found himself “falling in love” with a certain song sequence, only to be denied the right to use it. “How could I not have ‘Gucci flip-flops’ in my movie?” he said: “But they wanted too much money. [Laughs.] In fact, I like our idea better.
read THRof Anora The review reads: “Mitch Madison’s Anora has a sweet personality that makes her human even in the most transactional situations, while her defensiveness makes her dangerous when threatened. Nora (Arnie) rubs shoulders with the tough-as-nails protagonists of Baker’s last few films. little star and Tangerine through Florida Project and red rocket“.
Anora It will be released on Neon on October 18th. San Sebastian Film Festival kicks off with world premiere of erotic film Emmanuelle Friday evenings, September 20-28.
