Here is the translation of the provided content: 【Low-Budget Filmmaking Benchmark 5】The low-budget production "Enola" won an Oscar, and the reasons behind his refusal to seek financing from Hollywood studios.
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"Enola" has grossed over $56 million worldwide, making it Sean Baker's highest-grossing work. His independent filmmaking style focuses on low budgets, small teams, amateur actors, and natural light shooting, while maintaining creative freedom. This film is his eighth feature, with a budget of $6 million, and the story of the character played by lead actress Maggie Madison is captivating, earning her an Academy Award for Best Actress. Sean Baker explores the stories of social outsiders in an honest and engaging way, and he won the Palme d'Or for Best Film at last year's Cannes Film Festival. In recent years, he has called on parents to take their children to the cinema, believing that the experience of watching a film in theaters cannot be replaced.
《Enola》 has set a box office record of over 56 million dollars worldwide, becoming Sean Baker's most successful film to date.
As an independent filmmaker, Sean Baker's shooting method consistently involves: low production costs, a minimal crew, a large use of non-professional actors, and shooting on location with natural light as much as possible. To save on budget, he usually writes, directs, and edits his films himself, while also avoiding collaboration with Hollywood studios to raise funds, striving to maintain creative freedom and casting choices.
His works focus on social issues, telling stories of marginalized individuals, with half of his films featuring sex workers as protagonists, including 《Starlet》 and 《The Florida Project》. 《Enola》 is Baker's eighth feature film, with a budget of 6 million dollars, shot on 35mm film over 37 days.
The film has grossed 56 million dollars globally, making it Sean Baker's highest-grossing film to date. The lead actress, Maggie Madison, plays a stripper who meets the son of a Russian billionaire, initially believing her life will take off, but ultimately ends up empty-handed. Her outstanding performance earned her the Best Actress award at this year's Oscars.
Madison stated that Sean Baker is committed to de-stigmatizing sex workers through his work and telling the stories of these marginalized individuals in an honest and engaging way. She mentioned, "He tackles a lot of dark themes, but always manages to flip them and infuse them with humor. Therefore, I completely trust Sean Baker; he is truly a sincere collaborator."
Baker admitted that the fundraising process for this film was still challenging, ultimately funded by independent companies Neon and FilmNation Entertainment. After years of adhering to his creative ideals, Baker finally broke through with 《Enola》, winning the Palme d'Or for Best Film at last year's Cannes Film Festival, and simultaneously taking home four Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing, making him the first individual in history to win four awards for a single film, an achievement that is hard to surpass.
With the rise of streaming media threatening the survival space of cinemas in recent years, Baker called on parents during his acceptance speech to take their children to the theater to watch films and encouraged creators to make more works suitable for big-screen release, while urging distributors to prioritize theatrical releases, "because the cinema experience is irreplaceable."