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Sean Baker’s 2008 independent drama Prince of Broadway opens with West African immigrant Lucky (Prince Adu) thriving in his element, using his charisma and humor to draw passersby into the small shop where he sells knockoff purses and sneakers. All the while, Baker’s camera pursues Lucky with the same reckless zeal that fuels his daily hustle on the streets. It’s a chaotic dance between director and performer set to the hectic pulse of Manhattan’s wholesale district in the late aughts.

Baker based the character of Lucky on Adu himself, who went so far as to scout locations and find actors for the production. And among those he found was Aidan Noesi, who plays the toddler who Lucky is forced to take care of after his ex, Linda (Kat Sanchez), tells him that he’s the father before then running off, promising to return in a couple of weeks.

Prince of Broadway, Spine #1258, will release in the Criterion Collection on April 29th, 2025.

Sean Baker is currently on top of the world. His most recent film — Anora (which also joins the collection this month) — won five of its six nominations at the Academy Awards, including Best Actress, Best Director and Best Picture. In an instant, Baker was transformed from a small independent filmmaker known only to film snobs and A24 aficionados, to a recognized artist at the top of his game. Prince of Broadway is undeniable proof that Baker has always had a talent for telling achingly human stories.

Prince of Broadway plot

Lucky (Prince Adu) survives by hustling counterfeit merchandise to unsuspecting tourists on the streets of New York. When an ex-girlfriend shows up unexpectedly and leaves him with a young boy that she claims is his son, Lucky’s life instantly changes. He’s unprepared for fatherhood and...

The Screen Actors Guild Awards concluded with expected wins and lots of fanfare.

Earning the first award, Troy Kotsur (Coda) made history by becoming the first deaf actor to win an individual SAG Award.

First, the film categories!

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

**Winner** Coda — Eugenio Derbez, Daniel Durant, Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo

Belfast — Caitríona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Jude Hill, Ciarán Hinds, Colin Morgan

Don’t Look Up — Cate Blanchett, Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ariana Grande, Jonah Hill, Jennifer Lawrence, Melanie Lynskey, Scott Mescudi, Rob Morgan, Himesh Patel, Ron Perlman, Tyler Perry, Mark Rylance, Meryl Streep

House of Gucci — Adam Driver, Lady Gaga, Salma Hayek, Jack Huston, Jeremy Irons, Jared Leto, Al Pacino

King Richard — Jon Bernthal, Aunjanue Ellis, Tony Goldwyn, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Will Smith

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

**Winner** Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye...

One of the hottest awards contenders of the year, Apple TV+’s “The Morning Show,” has just revealed to Gold Derby that a whopping 22 cast members will be eligible for the ensemble prize at the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards. Lead actresses Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon serve as bookends of the alphabetical list (see below), which also includes recent SAG Award nominees Steve Carell and Billy Crudup, plus new cast member (and guild queen) Julianna Margulies.

Seea ‘Good Wife’ showdown: Julianna Margulies and Christine Baranski to face off at SAG Awards?

The last time “The Morning Show” contended at the 2020 SAG Awards, Aniston prevailed in the individual actress category, but the drama was shockingly snubbed in the ensemble race. That egregious oversight should be rectified this year, as the cast now comes in second place to win, according to Gold Derby predictions, behind only HBO’s “Succession.”

“Tms” Season 2 streamed...

Oncinema.com’s Ioncinephile of the Month feature focuses on an emerging filmmaker from the world of cinema. This November, we feature Sean Baker, an independent filmmaker whose fourth film, Starlet premiered at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, then continued onwards to Locarno, BFI London and most recently AFI Film Fest before being released theatrically via Music Box Films on Friday November 9th. Below is our follow-up interview where we learn more about Baker’s process and about the films that have influenced the filmmaker. Here’s Sean Baker’s personal Top Ten films of all time.

Eric Lavallee: During your childhood…what films were important to you?

Sean Baker: When I was in first grade, my mother brought me to the local library where they were screening selected scenes from the Universal monster films on 16mm. I remember watching the burning windmill sequence from James Whale’s...

CinemaSpy has received the official trailer for the independently made comedy-drama Prince of Broadway. You can view it by clicking on the Trailer tab above.

Prince of Broadway is described as being filmed in a 'fast-paced guerilla style that is akin to the hustler lifestyle.' It is currently showing in only select theaters but has already enjoyed success on the film festival network. It won the Best Narrative Feature Award at the Los Angeles and Woodstock Film Festivals, the Grand Jury Prize at the Canary Islands, Florida, Sacramento and Pan African L.A. Film Festivals, the Jury Award at the Torino Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Belfort International Film Festival and Best American Feature at the Cleveland Film Festival. In addition it won the Best New Filmmaker award at the Boulder Film Festival and was nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards.

Sean Baker...