Sean Baker’s New Short Is a Gritty, ’70s-Inspired, High-Fashion New York Throwback — Watch

Indie filmmaker Sean Baker has emerged for his first project since 2017’s Academy Award-nominated feature “The Florida Project,” and it’s a dazzling, 1970s-esque, gritty and glamorous throwback on the streets of New York for fashion line Khaite. The short film serves as a showcase for Khaite’s fall/winter collections for 2021. Check it out below.

Shot on the streets of New York and within its subterranean corridors, the short hearkens back to classic New York cinema from the ’70s. The film was produced by Prodject in creative collaboration with Superprime.

More from IndieWire

• Sean Baker Shot a Secret Film with 'Waves,' 'Euphoria' DP as His 'Florida Project' Follow-Up

• M. Night Shyamalan, Biden Campaign Team Up for Filmmaking Contest

“This project has honestly been one of the most creatively cathartic experiences I have worked on. This is our crazy love letter to New York City and I hope audiences have as much fun watching as we had making it,” Baker said.

Baker’s next feature “Red Rocket,” starring Simon Rex as a washed-up porn star returning to his small hometown in Texas, was recently acquired by A24, the studio that distributed “The Florida Project.” According to the synopsis, “‘Red Rocket’ is a darkly comedic film about Mikey Saber, a 39-year old ‘suitcase pimp.’ That is the kind of pimp who lives off of women in the adult film industry. Finding himself down and out in Los Angeles, Mikey decides to crawl back to his hometown of Texas City, Texas, where his estranged wife and mother-in-law are living. Just as this dysfunctional family seems to be making things work, Mikey meets a young woman named Strawberry working the cash register at a local doughnut shop. He falls right back into his old habits.”

Baker wrote the script with his frequent collaborator Chris Bergoch, who served as co-writer on “The Florida Project,” “Tangerine” and “Starlet.” Baker also serves as producer alongside Alex Coco, Samantha Quan, Alex Saks, and Shih-Ching Tsou. To shoot the movie, Baker hired rising cinematographer Drew Daniels to help him shoot “Red Rocket.” Daniels has been acclaimed for his collaborations with Trey Edward Shults, including “Waves,” “Krisha,” and “It Comes at Night,” and recently shot two episodes of “Euphoria.”

Baker’s Khaite short features cinematography from indie favorite Sean Price Williams, who served as the DP on the Safdie brothers’ “Good Time.”

Best of IndieWire

• New Movies: Release Calendar for March 5, Plus Where to Watch the Latest Films

• The 20 Highest Grossing Indies of 2021 (A Running List)

• Nightmare Film Shoots: 25 of the Most Grueling Films Ever Made

Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.