Charlie Kaufman and Wes Anderson did not happen: Is there a Baudrillardian Film Philosophy? MANNINGRUSSELL WARREN 2019 This thesis was provoked by the adverse analytical and critical writing accorded to independent filmmakers Charlie Kaufman and Wes Anderson. This dismissal of their work, while legitimate and genuine was framed to lessen an equally genuine retort. In reply, I recalibrate responses to their work through the prism of cultural theorist Jean Baudrillard’s signature concepts. It demonstrates how Kaufman and Anderson can be framed as Baudrillardian filmmakers. The result is an expanded vocabulary for talking both about Baudrillard as a film philosopher and Kaufman and Anderson as innovative and challenging filmmakers.