Sean Baker

“I had never even heard of the term 'hidden homeless' before... It's not just Orlando and Kissimmee. It's a national issue; it's a national problem.”

“I grew up with 'The Little Rascals' and always try to work a link into every one of my movies.”

“Talent is out there. But sometimes it doesn't work. You're going to find people who you think are wonderful, and the minute you turn on the camera, they just don't understand the concept of acting.”

“There are characteristics of Central Florida you don't see anywhere else. It's quite beautiful.”

“Because I'm a dramatist, I'm allowed to take liberties, but I want my films to be based in truth, and it's very important to me that the community we're focusing on is happy with the film. From an ethical point of view, that's everything.”

“When I see a billboard that literally just has five names, and they're all A-listers, I'm just like, What is that bringing to the world that's new?”

“Like with 'Starlet,' we intentionally did not look at 'Boogie Nights' before making 'Starlet,' and I should have. Because there are one or two scenes that come too close and it looks almost like - because it's about the same industry, and you're going to be covering certain subjects.”

“I've told my agent to push the idea of me as a director for hire off the table. Otherwise, we're wasting people's time.”

“I think with 'Tangerine' we were taking that gamble - it was a risk - that we could tell the story in a comedic fashion to attract an audience and shed light on an issue.”

“The iPhone always has a different look from model to model - 'Tangerine' is quite smooth, but that was the 5s. I was using the iPhone 6s Plus for 'The Florida Project,' and it has what's called a rolling shutter, and it gave it this hyperactivity and a very different, jarring feel, and we liked that.”

“I would like to make sure I'm not homeless.”

“Filmmaking has been my love since my mother brought me to see James Whale's 'Frankenstein' at the local library at the age of six.”

“I have friends who are trans advocates, and they were upset that Jared Leto played a trans person.”

“I remember, at one point, I was actually studying it kind of intensively around 2001, when Hrithik Roshan was big. I wanted to learn more about it, as I've always been intrigued by the craft of Bollywood, in that how well they were shot in glorious widescreen. I would actually go to see Bollywood films in the theaters in New York and New Jersey.”

“There's an alchemy that happens in my eyes when you mix it up, when you have a seasoned actor on set and your first-timer.”

“I think I'm my own worst enemy.”

“In our most desperate times, people going through true hardships use humor to cope.”

“'Man Push Cart' is very similar to 'Take Out.'”

“So many films are being shot on the DSLR, that they're all starting to look the same. There's a shallow depth of field. It's a nice look, but I can always identify a film shot with a DSLR.”

“As long as I can pay rent, that's all I care about.”