FilmNation Entertainment has acquired worldwide rights to Sean Baker’s new romantic dramedy film “Anora.”
Following the acquisition, FilmNation sold rights internationally to Le Pacte in France, Lev in Israel, Kismet in Australia and New Zealand and Focus Features and Universal Pictures International in the rest of the world, excluding North America.
The film was written and directed by Baker, who is best known for directing “Tangerine” and “The Florida Project.” It shot on location at the beginning of the year in Brooklyn and stars Mikey Madison, who appeared as Manson Family follower Susan “Sadie” Atkinsin “once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Plot details are being kept under wraps.
FilmNation previously worked with Baker on 2021’s critically heralded “Red Rocket.”
“Sean Baker is an American master unafraid to shine a light on the characters that have been left behind by American cinema,” said FilmNation CEO Glen Basner. “Working with Sean and his producers, Samantha and Alex, is always a thrilling and inspiring experience, and we can’t wait for audiences to get to meet‘Anora.'”
“Making an independent film is never easy no matter how many you have under your belt!” said Baker. “I feel so fortunate to have been given the resources and support to fulfill my vision in an uncompromised way. Thank you to my collaborators including Glen Basner and the FilmNation team, my incredible cast, crew and producers, and to the city of New York for providing a rich cinematic backdrop for our story. I look forward to sharing this with filmgoers around the world next year.”
The rest of the cast includes Mark Eydelshteyn, Yuriy Borisov, Karren Karagulian and Vache Tovmasyan. It was produced by Samantha Quan, Alex Coco and Baker. Drew Daniels served as director of photography and shot the film on 35mm.
The film is currently in post-production.
Other recent FilmNation productions include Academy Award winner Edward Berger’s“Conclave,” John Carney’s “Flora and Son” (a hit at Sundance)and Christos Nikou’s“Fingernails”starring Jessie Buckley and Riz Ahmed.
Baker’s most recent film, “Red Rocket,” premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival and was distributed by A24 in the U.S. His previous film“The Florida Project”premiered in the Director’s Fortnight section at the Cannes Film Festival and earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor for Willem Dafoe. Baker’s“Tangerine” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won an Independent Spirit and two Gotham Awards.
Madison is set to star in the Apple TV+ limited series “Lady in the Lake” with Natalie Portman and Moses Ingram for director Alma Har’el.She was recently seen in “Scream” opposite Jack Quaid and Jenna Ortega and starred opposite Pamela Adlon in FX’s “Better Things,” which ran for five seasons.
Baker is repped by Fusion Entertainment. Madison is repped by UTA, Authentic Talent and Literary Management, Viewpoint and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller. Edelshteyn and Borisov are both repped by Stride Management.
