Sean Baker’s work defines a new social realism in US cinema, focusing on modern, marginalized characters through a compassionate and often humorous lens. He is the director and co-writer of the highly lauded film, The Florida Project, which premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. The film was released by A24 and was nominated for the Independent Spirit Awards for Best Feature and Best Director, a Gotham Award for Best Feature, and Sean was awarded Best Director of the Year by the New York Film Critics Circle.
His previous film Tangerine, premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and gained wide acclaim for being shot on three iPhone 5s smartphones. The film was released by Magnolia Pictures and was nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards including Best Feature and Best Director, and four Gotham Awards Including Best Feature, where it won the Audience Award. Take Out (2008) and Prince of Broadway (2009) were both nominated for the John Cassavetes Independent Spirit Award, and Starlet (2012) was the recipient of the Robert Alt- man Independent Spirit Award, as well as another Cassavetes nominee. A graduate of NYU, Baker is also the co-creator of the long-running American comedy series “Greg the Bunny.”