Sean Baker Pic ‘Anora’ Acquired By Neon For North America

Neon has secured the rights for the North American distribution of "Anora," a romantic dramedy, which is the latest creation from the acclaimed indie filmmaker Sean Baker, renowned for his work on "The Florida Project." The film is set to hit theaters sometime in the coming year.

The ensemble cast of "Anora" features Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yuriy Borisov, Karren Karagulian, and Vache Tovmasyan. The film was shot on 35mm by the talented Director of Photography, Drew Daniels. However, the exact details of the film's plot are being kept tightly under wraps. Samantha Quan, Alex Coco, and Sean Baker himself served as the producers of the project. FilmNation Entertainment holds the worldwide rights for the film, and they have already licensed it to various distributors around the globe. This includes Le Pacte in France, Lev in Israel, Kismet in Australia and New Zealand, and Focus Features/Universal Pictures International for the rest of the world.

This exciting acquisition by Neon comes on the heels of their announcement about "They Follow," a sequel to the cult classic horror film "It Follows," directed by David Robert Mitchell. Mitchell is set to reunite with the star of the original film, Maika Monroe, and Neon will take on the roles of producer, distributor, and international sales. Among the other notable titles on Neon's international sales slate is Ava DuVernay's highly acclaimed film "Origin," which is set to hit U.S. theaters on December 8, as well as "We Bury the Dead," starring Daisy Ridley.

"Anora" marks Sean Baker's eighth venture in writing and directing. This comes after his 2021 dark comedy, "Red Rocket," which featured Simon Rex and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Baker's earlier work, "The Florida Project" from 2017, earned critical acclaim when it premiered in the Directors' Fortnight section of Cannes, and it secured an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Willem Dafoe. Baker himself was named Best Director by the New York Film Critics Circle. Sean Baker's portfolio also includes films like "Tangerine" (2015), which was shot entirely on iPhones and won an Independent Spirit Award, as well as two Gotham Awards. "Starlet" (2012) earned the Independent Spirit Awards' Robert Altman Award. His earlier works include "Prince of Broadway" (2008) and "Take Out" (2004), both of which were honored with the John Cassavetes prize at the Independent Spirits.

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