Sean Baker, Samantha Quan, and Alex Coco - Full Interview Room

Variety

3/12/2025

Transcript

00:002.85 and 2.97 on standby.

00:09Hi Sharon, over here.

00:12I'm Ruben Napales of Rappler in the Philippines.

00:16Congratulations on the amazing journey of Anora from Cannes to this big moment at the Oscars.

00:23Anora reflects your passion for social realism

00:27and for your passion to tell the stories of marginalized communities.

00:30Can you talk about that and also how the social realist films of world indie cinema filmmakers

00:37like the late Lina Broca inspire you?

00:39Yes, well thank you for bringing up social realism.

00:42It's been a genre, I guess you could say.

00:46It's a genre that has very much inspired my work from, as you just said,

00:52the wonderful Filipino social realism to the British social realism.

01:00And with this film we were definitely infusing some social realism in there

01:04but we were trying to mix it up as well.

01:06We were actually kind of genre hopping in many ways.

01:10But I think social realism, what's so important about it,

01:13is that it really focuses on the truth.

01:21It uses often character studies, sometimes issue based,

01:26and it's really shining a light on subjects that should be spoken about.

01:31Next question, 297 with 118 on deck.

01:37Hi Sean, this is Maxwell Millington with Axios over here.

01:43What does it mean to you that the Best Picture winner

01:46and the Animated Feature Film winner were both independent films?

01:52You know, as I said on stage, it's just really feels wonderful

01:56that the Academy is recognizing independent film.

02:00We, in many ways, we always jump into these projects

02:06knowing that we will have to compete with budgets

02:10and films that have budgets that are literally almost 100 times

02:14what we've shot our film for.

02:18And so when we're actually able to do that,

02:24get into the same room as other films such as Wicked,

02:27a wonderful movie, but a totally different type of film from ours,

02:32it means that we're doing something right.

02:37And also it's been a great tradition over the last few years

02:40of independent films being recognized.

02:42And this batch this year is so wonderful.

02:44I mean, we feel very aligned with filmmakers of,

02:49for example, The Brutalist, you know, Brady and Mona.

02:52We feel very aligned with the way that they are making movies

02:55and we're very inspired by them.

02:57So for us to be, you know, just in that conversation this year

03:00with these other wonderful independents, it means everything.

03:03Next question, 118 with 396 on deck.

03:08Hello, Mia Livicino with Letterboxd.

03:11Hi.

03:12Hello.

03:13So from one Letterboxd member to another, congratulations.

03:18You have spoken so passionately this season

03:20about the necessity of independent film.

03:22And as the voice of the audience, we would love to hear your thoughts

03:25on how your community has supported you and your films

03:28through their first life in theaters and on 35mm

03:32and into their second life on physical media.

03:36How the community has.

03:38Well, I'd like to mention Film Independent.

03:41That has been an incredible supporter of my entire career.

03:45And all the wonderful film festivals around the world, you know.

03:50That's how you birth an independent film.

03:54Or you at least, you know, that's how you bring it out into the world.

03:58So, you know, I want to thank Cannes.

04:02I want to thank the Thierry Fromeau and the Cannes Film Festival

04:05for allowing us to, for accepting us so that we could begin this journey.

04:12But then overall, you just mentioned physical media.

04:16I know it's a boutique thing now.

04:18It's like, you know, it's perhaps a niche.

04:21But there are passionate people out there.

04:24And there are so many incredible films from our past, you know,

04:27being restored and being put, being released, re-released on Blu-ray and 4K.

04:32And that's an incredible thing for cinephiles these days.

04:35We're living in a golden age.

04:37Last question, 396 in the front.

04:39Hi, Sean. Raymond Lo from the Philippines, for the Philippine Star.

04:42Hi, how are you?

04:43Before that, I'm a big, big, big, big, big, huge fan of yours.

04:46So, my question is on behalf of all your fans.

04:49So, I believe that these four Oscars of yours

04:52is for Tangerine, Starlet, The Florida Project, Red Rocket.

04:57That's sweet. Thank you.

04:58Tell us how you truly, truly feel,

05:00because we don't feel like you can, like, share everything with us.

05:03Well, that's a very nice view.

05:05It does feel like a culmination in many ways.

05:08I've been covering the topic of sex work in my last four films.

05:13And I think that it was actually the research I had done on those films,

05:19and just those films teaching me, you know, that eventually led to Enora.

05:22Enora is, like, sort of where I was going to with these movies.

05:26So, thank you. That's a very nice view.

05:28Thanks.

05:29Next question is virtual.

05:31If you can look into the camera, please.

05:33It's from Diario La Prensa, Honduras.

05:35Daniela Michelle Ramos.

05:39Hi, Sean. Congratulations.

05:41Thank you. Thank you so much.

05:43I want to know what your message is for all those who judge

05:48and criticize the sex workers, and what you learned from this movie.

05:56So, I've been pretty outspoken about my stance on sex work.

06:01It's our oldest profession, yet it has an incredible unfair stigma applied to it.

06:08And what I've been trying to do with my films is sort of chip away at that very unfair stigma.

06:14Personally, I think it should be decriminalized.

06:16And I guess through my work, through hopefully humanizing my characters

06:23that are usually seen as perhaps caricatures in most film and television,

06:29it will help do that.

06:33Congratulations, and thank you very much.

06:35Thank you. Thank you.

Sean Baker, Samantha Quan, and Alex Coco - Full Interview Room

Category

Transcript

Recommended