Prince of Broadway

Staking out territory on the cold winter streets of midtown Manhattan, West African immigrant Lucky (Prince Adu) uses the gift of gab and a hustler’s shrewdness to peddle designer knockoffs for Lebanese store owner Levon (Karren Karagulian). One day, a long-forgotten ex named Linda (Kat Sanchez) delivers shocking news: years ago she had Lucky’s baby (Aiden Noesi) and now needs him to tend the toddler for several weeks—though Lucky suspects she’s using him to completely abdicate her parental responsibilities. Now Lucky must figure out how to become a father overnight without losing his girlfriend, Karina (Keyali Mayaga), or his edge in the counterfeit-merch game. Directed, photographed, edited, coproduced, and cowritten by Sean Baker, PRINCE OF BROADWAY scintillates with the live-wire energy of its mostly nonprofessional cast and the authenticity of its documentarylike production, shot on location in New York City. With this marvel of shoestring-budget guerrilla filmmaking, Baker deftly combines the streetwise and the heartfelt, proving himself one of the contemporary masters of American independent cinema.