What is Sean Baker accused of? Oscar winner Anora’s union controversy explained

Sean Baker and Anora have been in the news for their wins at the Oscars 2025, but a new controversy has emerged around the film.

Recently, the indie filmmaker was accused of mistreatment of the crew of his Academy Award-winning film. The viral claims also alleged that Sean Baker initially avoided unionizing the crew on Anora. The accusations surfaced with a post from an Instagram account of Crew Stories (@crewstoriesig).

The IG handle posted a screenshot of a text message from an anonymous person who claimed to be a part of Anora’s crew. Crew Stories’ post claimed that the account received multiple such DMs from the crew members of Sean Baker’s film, while others from the production team also denied allegations of mistreatment.

The message in the post started by making severe accusations against the director and DOP:

“I like Anora the movie a lot, like Baker as a filmmaker, and love Drew Daniels the DP, but the way Baker was able to make Anora for $6 million in NYC was in considerable part by screwing over his crew and lying to their representatives. It’s unheard of and unfathomable for a movie over $3 million to go non-union in NYC.”

It was alleged in the post that Sean Baker and the cast were protected by their respective unions—the Directors Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild. The anonymous text further delved into accusing the award-winning director of avoiding working with IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees).

---

More details on the alleged union controversy involving Anora crew and Sean Baker

The anonymous message shared by Crew Stories accused the Oscar-winning director of hiding details from IATSE and later fighting them “tooth and nail” upon discovery. The post claimed that the filmmaker did all this to avoid paying his film crew the same wages and providing similar protections as a unionized production.

The Crew Stories’ IG post explored the details of benefits, which include health insurance. It further claimed that the crew members were on the verge of losing their insurance for the year because Anora’s production was not unionized. The post further states that:

“Eventually the crew reported the movie to the union and voted unanimously to flip the show. So halfway through production they had to sign with IATSE or get shut down and thankfully all the people who made the movie got their health insurance due to collective action against their employer.”

In March 2023, IATSE posted on X about reaching an agreement with Anora’s makers. As a result, the crew members were eligible to receive “benefits, wages, and improved conditions.”

The post proclaimed that Sean Baker was reportedly unhappy with the unionization of the crew and displayed unfriendliness towards those who took “collective action against their employer.”

Rachel Parella (@rparrella_) and Gabriel Armstrong (@gabriel.armstrong), who worked in the Camera and Electrical Department of Anora, reacted to the allegations against Sean Baker. Parella wrote:

“I worked on Anora, this is full of misinformation and lies.”

At the same time, Armstrong responded:

“I worked on Anora, and this post is bulls***. Everyone who works on non-union movies knows what they’re signing up for. We were also paid on a union scale, so the part about wages is just completely untrue.”

---

Sean Baker won four Oscars at the 97th edition for Anora

At the recently concluded Academy Awards, the Tangerine director bagged four honors. Baker went home with Oscars in Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing categories. On receiving the Best Directing Oscar from Quentin Tarantino, Baker delivered a speech advocating the cinema-going experience:

“In a time in which the world can feel very divided, this [watching a film in a theater with an audience] is more important than ever. It’s a communal experience you simply don’t get at hom. And right now, the theater-going experience is under threat. Movie theaters, especially independently-owned theaters, are struggling and it is up to us to support them.”

He further added:

“Filmmakers keep making films for the big screen. I know I will. [applause from the crowd Distributors, please focus first and foremost on the theatrical releases of your films.”

Baker encouraged everyone to prioritize watching movies at the cinemas while accepting his third award of the evening. Apart from him, Mikey Madison also won the Best Actress Oscar for her titular performance in Anora.