Sean Baker
Sean Baker
Sean Baker (born February 26, 1971) is an American filmmaker. He is a director, writer, editor, and producer of independent narrative feature films which are most often about the lives of marginalized people, especially immigrants and sex workers. He made his directorial film debut with Four Letter Words (2000) and co-created the television character Greg the Bunny. Baker has since directed seven feature films: Take Out) (2004), Prince of Broadway) (2008), Starlet) (2012), Tangerine) (2015), The Florida Project (2017), Red Rocket) (2021), and Anora (2024).
2000–2014: Directorial debut and early work
Baker's first feature film was Four Letter Words (2000), a film revolving around the looks, views, attitudes, and language of young men in America. He wrote, directed, and edited the film. Baker is one of the original creators of the sitcom Greg the Bunny (2002–2006), starring Seth Green and Eugene Levy. It is based on a series of short segments which Baker directed and wrote. The series aired on the Independent Film Channel and was in turn derived from a public-access television show called Junktape. In 2010, Baker, Spencer Chinoy, and Dan Milano created a spinoff called Warren the Ape; the series aired on MTV and was canceled after one season.
2000–2014: Directorial debut and early work
He made Take Out) (2004), which he co-wrote, co-directed, co-edited, and co-produced with frequent collaborator Shih-Ching Tsou on a budget of $3000. The film revolves around an undocumented Chinese immigrant falling behind on payments on a smuggling debt, leaving him only one day to come up with the money. The film's world premiere was at the Slamdance Film Festival in Los Angeles on January 18, 2004. After it was screened at over 25 film festivals a legal dispute with Seth Landau, who was planning to release a film with the same name, delayed its release until June 6, 2008.