Sean Baker is scrappy. For years, the writer-director has been making independent films about marginalized groups, from undocumented immigrants to sex workers. He casts his own movies, working with friends and talent he finds on social media.

Yura Borisov is Baker's hidden weapon. He plays the quiet Russian who falls for Anora, and he tells IndieWire about his path to the role — and what else he helped shape in the Palme d’Or winner.

The filmmaker and star discussed Neon's Cannes winner before sold-out London Film Fest screenings, with Baker sharing how he "got gold" with guerrilla-style filming and how he likes to treat "characters as individuals.

Sean Baker's “Anora” is by wide consensus one of the year’s best films and a best picture contender at the Oscars.

The film hails from Sean Baker whose previous films "The Florida Project" and "Red Rocket" meant that this movie was going to be hyped — and that was before it won the Palme d'Or at Cannes. Here's everything you need to know about the new movie,