ALEX COCO on Producing ANORA
By Rebecca Green
A nominee for the 2025 Producers Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, Alex Coco’s latest film, ANORA has garnered endless critical acclaim and awards recognition, including winning Best Picture at the Critics Choice Awards, Best Theatrical Film at the PGA and DGA Awards, and five 2025 Academy Award wins, taking home the top prize for Best Picture. Alex sat down with Dear Producer to discuss his journey from film school graduate to Sean Baker's go-to producer. Collaborating with Sean on ANORA, THE FLORIDA PROJECT, and RED ROCKET, Alex showcases a commitment to authentic storytelling and maximizing resources that has become his producing signature.
ANORA is being hailed as the most decorated film this awards season, but this isn’t your first film with Sean Baker. How did you come to work together?
I met Sean when I was in film school and I went to a screening of TANGERINE where he did a Q&A. His filmmaking style and approach really resonated with me, the run-and-gun nature of it, the independent spirit, breaking the rules, and getting it done by any means necessary. Working with non-actors was particularly interesting to me, as some of the greatest films have been made that way.
I went up to him after the screening to tell him how much I admired his work and we exchanged information. A few months later, I ran into him again after a midnight screening of Gaspar Noé's LOVE in 3D at the Aero. It was around 3AM and I asked if he remembered me, which he did, and he said he was looking for an assistant. It was perfect timing since I was about halfway through my last year at film school. I started working with him three days a week, doing everything from cutting trailers for fashion films to putting together clips of Bria Vinaite, who was eventually cast in THE FLORIDA PROJECT, to show financiers she could handle the role despite being a first-timer.
After I graduated, Sean asked me to come to Florida to work on THE FLORIDA PROJECT. I got my diploma and a week later drove cross-country in the producer's car with production equipment. I worked my ass off and filled as many gaps as I could, wearing as many hats as possible, to make myself essential. Even as an assistant, I was pushing for what we needed to make the film work.
Where did you go to film school?
I went to USC for grad school and Colgate University in upstate New York for undergrad. Growing up in Connecticut, I wasn't around filmmakers much, I was more admiring them from afar by watching as many movies as possible. When I got to Los Angeles, I was floored by how many films were premiering in my city with filmmakers doing Q&As after screenings. I made it a point to attend these screenings and talk to the filmmakers. If I wasn't getting much traction with them directly, I'd find their assistant, exchange emails, and stay in touch respectfully. My thinking was maybe they'll move on to another job, get promoted, and when they need someone new, they might remember that USC kid they already know instead of going through a stack of resumes. Sean was probably the fifth or sixth filmmaker I'd spoken to and he was the one who gave me my shot. While there was luck involved, my actions were intentional. I tell up-and-coming filmmakers this story and emphasize that point. I was strategically putting myself in positions to get opportunities. And it turned out to be the best fit. As soon as we started working together, it just made sense.
How did ANORA come about?