On a sunny late afternoon during the 55th New York Film Festival, the exuberant team behind The Florida Project hit the red carpet to discuss this moving, exhilarating look at life in the margins of Orlando. We spoke with the breakout kid trio of Brooklyn Prince, Valeria Cotto, and Christopher Rivera as they discuss why Sean Baker is “the best director we could ever have.” We also talked to costar Bria Vinaite about how she was cast, Willem Dafoe on the power of cinema, and director/co-writer Baker on the detailed preproduction process.

Baker and co-writer/producer Chris Bergoch also participated in an NYFF Live discussion on the making of the film, moderated by Tomris Laffly, where they discussed the experience of coming to NYFF, their early filmmaking days, The Florida Project’s exhaustive casting process, and much more. The Florida Project opens in select theaters today, courtesy of A24.

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