With his latest film, the Palme d’Or winning and critically acclaimed comedy “Anora,” indie filmmaker Sean Baker is aiming to upend the notion that only superhero movies or action sequels are worthy of being seen on a big screen with a large audience.
“What I miss,” Baker said in a recent interview with the Associated Press, “where are the mature film for adults that had human stories, that didn’t have explosions or didn’t have to have superheroes or were horror-based? Where are those?”
In listing examples, Baker acknowledged the Oscar-winning 1979 marital drama “Kramer vs. Kramer,” as well as the work of Jonathan Demme (“Something Wild,” “Silence of the Lambs”) and Robert Altman (“Nashville,” “The Player”), both of whom were filmmakers focused on rich characters over explosions and gun fights.
“Where are they these days?” Baker said. “They don’t exist, unfortunately, or they’re very few and far between. And it’s like, let’s get the audience to remember that that stuff is just as worthy of being on the big screen as the big tentpole films, the big blockbusters.”
Baker added that bringing this diversity of choice back to cinemas will “keep theaters thriving” and that he himself is trying to do so by remaining an independent. Realizing how divisive his statement may be to some, Baker later clarified his words in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“There are some who think I’m slamming horror films,” Baker wrote of comments made about his AP interview. “I grew up on horror films, I love horror films, I’d never slam horror films. What I said in the AP interview is that I wish studios would produce more adult dramas as well as the staple genres for theatrical release.”
Baker will be featured as the keynote speaker at IndieWire’s inaugural Future of Filmmaking Summit, hosted in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 2. Other panelists include president of FilmLA Paul Audley, former Sundance Institute CEO Keri Putnam, Sub-Genre founder Brian Newman, AI guru Dave Clark and Erik Weaver, director of adaptive production at ETC. We’ll also have a panel with the heads of KINO, Austin Worrell, Brit MacRae and Daril Fannin, as well as a special presentation from Reby Silverman, senior manager of global partnerships with Canva. Topics will include filmmaking outside California and the atomization of production, how to pitch your film (and the tools you can use to better sell your vision), the state of distribution, opportunities provided by streaming, and, of course, the challenges and opportunities of AI. Tickets are available now.
