The Empathy of Sean Baker

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Podcast \ Personalities

Host and producer: Karolis Vyšniauskas

Photographer: Berta Tilmantė

Sound engineer: Kata Bitowt

2018 April 03

The episode is supported by:

Art \ Cinema \ Social issues

Few directors are as humane as Sean Baker. His films dive deep into the problems of American society, but instead of forcing you to cry they offer a special kind of human connection.

Despite not being nominated for an Oscar, Baker’s latest feature The Florida Project won the hearts of critics, viewers and Drake.

For the director himself, the most important recognition came from residents of cheap motels. The Florida Project portrays their hidden homelessness through the eyes of children. We met Baker at the Vilnius Film Festival Kino Pavasaris to talk empathy and his relation to European cinema.

Lithuania has a special connection with The Florida Project. It is the birthplace of Bria Vinaitė, the star of the film, who Baker found on Instagram. ‘She’s a natural talent.’

Despite dark subject matters, Baker’s films are full of joy. „Life is a combination of comedy and pathos. It’s a balance between the two. Shouldn’t film be the same thing?“ - he asks. ©Berta Tilmantaitė

Sean Baker during the interview in his hotel room, Vilnius, Lithuania. ©Berta Tilmantaitė

Both festival screenings of „The Florida Project“ in Lithuania were sold out. The film will come back to cinemas on April 6. „The fact that there is so much love for this movie here means a lot to me. Who knew this would happen?“ ©Berta Tilmantaitė

The Florida Project | Official Trailer

Further readings:

Tell Universal Stories: An Interview With The Florida Project’s Sean Baker, by Tavi Givenson, Rookie Mag

Review: In ‘The Florida Project,’ Enchantment in a Shabby Motel, by A. O. Scott, The New York Times

America’s hidden homeless: Life in the Starlight Motel, by Carolyn Bick, AlJazeera

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Art \ Cinema \ Social issues

This episode is supported by Lithuanian Council for Culture.

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