In the wake ofits Best Picture winat the Oscars,Anorahas remained clouded by controversy. A day afterSean Baker’s indie darling took home five awards at the ceremony, including a Best Achievement in Directing nod for the filmmaker, an anonymous social media post via the popular hub Crew Stories alleged that the film had not involved the prominent crew union International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) for much of the production. Reportedly, the goal was to keep costs down, in turn denying them working hours that would’ve counted toward union-co-administered health benefits. The critic also alleges that Baker had a “hissy fit” and became colder toward the crew when the set ultimatelyunionized in March 2023. Since then, however, multiple members of the team have come forward to defend the production and dispute the claims with their own experiences.
The Hollywood Reporter took a deep dive into the situation to unpack what really happened on the set of the $6 million indie and see if there was any merit to the initial claims that spread like wildfire online. From what they gathered, the production was a fairly normal example of what happens when a non-union project flips to a union one. IATSE was a late entrant onAnora, only becoming involved just a few days before the two-month production wrapped in New York ahead of its move to Nevada. That seems a bit surprising considering Baker was still well-known at the time between films likeThe Florida ProjectandRed Rocket, but there are reasons why it ultimately took a report to the tri-state area IATSE Local 52 to get them involved. Pay and working conditions onAnorawere up to union standards, according to two crew members, with another adding, “Nothing about it was out of the ordinary from my perspective beyond a few days of overtime.” However, it can take as little as one report within or outside the production to initiate a flip, whether it be a complaint about pay, eligibility for health benefits, or any number of other concerns.
In reality, those crew members said that the unionization efforts onAnorasurprised “99.9 percent of us.” Prop masterKendra Evansvouched for the fair pay and transparency of Baker and company on Instagram, adding “I got paid fairly, and was never lied to about the budget,” a sentiment echoed by best boy gripGabriel Armstrongand gripRachel Parrella. Of course, once a unionization vote began, the vast majority of the crew agreed to support the effort, temporarily halting production for negotiations. Yet, nobody THR spoke to recalled Baker being upset by the decision. On the complete opposite end, one anonymous worker from the set said thathe gathered his crew to show his support for them, recalling that “He explained how happy he was for us and excited and he was almost crying, not sobbing, but certainly beyond misty.”
‘Anora’ Isn’t the Only Indie Film to Avoid IATSE
Spurning IATSE isn’t unusual for indie projects trying to keep costs low either. It isn’t even unusual for Baker, who worked with the union onThe FloridaProject, but notRed RocketorTangerine. Thanks to his unique directing style and willingness to experiment, he’s generally found it easier to have more creative flexibility while also saving money in an increasingly fraught industry whereeven critical hits can fall flatat the box office. Some films even budget for the possibility of a flip despite beginning without the union. Even as Baker signed deals with SAG-AFTRA and the Directors Guild of America, the film still fell relatively in line with other indie productions while still reportedly ensuring people were subject to fair compensation and working conditions.
Whether or not there was any truth to the comments of a toxic, anti-union environment onAnoraperpetuated by Baker, the mere possibility has put the director under a microscope after a wildly successful year. He ended the Oscar season with four wins for his film, tyinga record set byWalt Disneyand positioning himself asone of the great auteurs of the 21st centuryin the eyes of critics and audiences. Starring Best Actress winnerMikey Madisonas a sex worker in Brooklyn who marries the son of a Russian oligarch, the film has also become one of the highest-grossing titles ever for the indie banner Neonwith $47.3 million globally, also sparking plenty of discussion and critique along the way over how it depicts and tries to destigmatize sex work.
Anorawillarrive on Hulu on March 17.
Source:The Hollywood Reporter
