Though Sean Baker’s curiosity about marginal characters sets him apart, the filmmaker insists it’s neither the exceptional personalities nor their unique subcultures that have motivated his five indies to date.
A New York based filmmaker, Baker received his B.A. in Film Studies from New York University.
He directed the award-winning and Spirit Award-nominated films Take Out (co-directed by Shih-Ching Tsou) and Prince of Broadway. The latter was named one of the best films of 2010 by the Los Angeles Times, and won Grand Jury Prize at the Los Angeles Film Festival and Woodstock Film Festival, and Special Jury Prize at Locarno International Film Festival. Lee Daniels (PRECIOUS) presented the film.
Baker’s second career lies in mainstream comedy television. He co-created the Fox and IFC series Greg the Bunny, and most recently directed, wrote and executive produced the MTV series Warren the Ape.
Baker’s fourth feature, Starlet, stars Dree Hemingway and was released on November 9, 2012 in the US by Music Box Films.
His latest indie, the Sundance-bound “Tangerine,” may be the breakthrough of the director, who is in his 40s. The tale centera on a colorful group of L.A. working girls turning tricks on Christmas Eve at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Highland Avenue.
