Sean Baker’s Anora Brings Authenticity Back To Big Screens, Here’s Everything You Need To Know

Anora is finally available to the public, and director Sean Baker couldn’t have expected more than pure praise and admiration for this film’s authenticity. 

From the beginning, Baker’s career path was clear. Ever since his mom took him to see Universal Monsters films, he became obsessed with the art of filmmaking. Pursuing this dream throughout his life, he made it to NYU, where he graduated from Tisch School of the Arts with a BA in film studies. 

The director made his first significant project, Four-letter Words, in the 2000s. Since then, he’s been making movies every couple of years. In 2004, he created Take Out, and in 2017 he made the critic darling The Florida Project.

Many of his films focus on shedding light on the realities of life for marginalized people. Presenting their lives on the big screen brings hope to Baker so that people can be more compassionate towards each other. In an interview, he emphasizes, “As a filmmaker in the 21st century…I love that they can change the world. They really can! There’s a platform for diplomatic engagement, but it’s not in your face.”

The filmmaker announced Anora at the 2024 Cannes Film festival press conference, breaking a seven-year streak of no news on his upcoming projects. Its initial release at the festival was successful, as it won the Palm d’Or.

Other directors also praised the film’s authenticity. Greta Gerwig described Anora as “truthful and unexpected” and compared it to comedies by Ernst Lubitsch. Aside from positive feedback from the Cannes jury president, it received a 7.5-minute-long ovation while small cheers were expressed throughout the movie.

Anora has quickly gained recognition and love from audiences, and its rawness has resulted in great numbers at the box office. On premier day, “Anora had the highest per-screen average of 2024 at $90k on six screens for a $540k gross.”  Baker proves that cinema doesn’t have to reflect a desired reality to be a great film.

Check out the Anora trailer below.