Sean Baker is an independent filmmaker. He's been known for the films Take Out and Prince of Broadway. He also is responsible for the television series Greg the Bunny and Warren the Ape.
Baker has a new film that came out on Thursday. Baker co-created Tangerine, along with Chris Bergoch, which centers on a donut shop near his home in Hollywood. The film's actors are transgender women Mya Taylor and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and James Ransone from The Wire.
The film was financed by the Duplass Brothers on an extremely low budget and shot using three iPhone 5S smartphones with anamorphic adapters. Film production began on Christmas Eve 2013 and wrapped on January 18, 2014.
Tangerine's world premier was at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2015. World rights were purchased by Magnolia Pictures which is handling distribution and advertising in what is being called a limited release.
Behind the scenes
Reviews:
a singularly delightful girlfriend movie with an attitude.
While the flavorful dialogue is a hoot (the word "bitch" more or less serves as punctuation), it's the warmth and absence of judgment or condescension toward its marginalized characters that make Sean Baker's film such a vibrant and uplifting snapshot.
--The Hollywood Reporter
a breath of fresh air in an indie landscape that often tends to focus on #WhitePeopleProblems.
--Indiewire
an exuberantly raw and up-close portrait of one of Los Angeles' more distinctive sex-trade subcultures.
--Justin Chang, Variety
Tangerine jumps off the screen and wows you like nobody's business...a groundbreaking film that leaves you in stitches while quietly breaking your heart.
--Peter Travers, Rolling Stone