Sean Baker’s films thus far have all dealt with people on the fringes of society, and it looks like his next movie, Anora, will continue in that same vein. A director known for his unorthodox movie-making techniques (he shot his break-out Tangerine entirely on iPhone) and independent spirit (his latest, Red Rocket, was made in near secrecy during the pandemic), Sean’s back catalogue is one of the rare examples of genuinely independent American moviemaking. Anora ticks the latter box perfectly. There were whispers, earlier this year, that Sean had wrapped filming on a new project in Las Vegas and upstate New York, but nobody – movie blogs aside – were really talking about it. Speaking at the Cinema Jove festival in Spain to Kinotico magazine, Sean revealed some secrets, but we’ve now got an official confirmation that the film is on the way, courtesy of its distributor Neon — the same team behind the US release of Parasite and Triangle of Sadness.
So what is Anora about? Who are the stars of it? And when can we expect to see it? Here’s everything we know about Sean Baker’s Anora.
What is the plot of Anora?
Anora is, according to Sean, another story about someone on the fringes of society. “In terms of theme, it follows the line of my previous films,” he told Kinotico magazine, clarifying that the film was “a story about a sex worker, but the tone is closer to comedy”, adding that it is, more specifically, an “adventure comedy-drama”. Sean’s films have toed the line between comical and profound for some time. Tangerine managed to capture the kinship between two trans women in Los Angeles perfectly, but the film was wrapped in a comedic package. Similarly, there were plenty of laughs in Red Rocket but the film was about the volatile, furious temperaments of men in Trump’s America. Whatever we’re getting with Anora, it’s likely that it’ll be hard to define as one straight genre.
Who is in the cast of Anora?
Sean has a tendency to match new discoveries with legends of the industry. He brought Willem Dafoe into the cast of almost unknowns on The Florida Project, and gave us Suzanna Son with Red Rocket, the actor who’s since gone on to star in The Idol. After rumours in June 2023 suggested that Scream star Mikey Madison was involved in the project, potentially as the lead, we have now got official confirmation of that via Variety. Fans spotted photos uploaded to social media in April of actor Ivy Wolk (who was not announced as a cast member but may still have a role in it) and Mikey together, with a wider cast on set of something in Las Vegas. Sean can be spotted in the background of one of the photos. On top of that, Ivy posted a tweet praising Mikey’s performance in Scream calling her a “bonafide star” in April, and Sean replied: “both of you”.
Ivy’s also posted memes alluding to Cannes Film Festival 2024, both here and here. Sean Baker’s last two films both premiered at that festival, and it’s likely he’d return there for Anora too.
Other cast members, per Variety, include Mark Eydelshteyn, the Russian star of the acclaimed Compartment No. 6 Yuriy Borisov, longtime Sean Baker collaborator Karren Karagulian and the actor-comedian-influencer Vache Tovmasyan.
Where did Anora shoot?
Sean says the film shot both in Brooklyn and Las Vegas, and Production Weekly lists the shoot as having been six weeks in length – pretty breezy by today’s standards.
Is there a trailer for Anora?
Nope! We shouldn’t expect to see more from the film until next year.
What is the release date for Anora?
Neon have said they will release the film in 2024, with Cannes being its most likely festival launchpad in May.