Guillermo Arriaga
Encyclopedia
Guillermo Arriaga Jordán (ɡiˈʎermo aˈrjaɣa; born 13 March 1958) is a Mexican
author
, screenwriter
, director
and producer
. Self-defined as “a hunter who works as a writer,” he authored Amores Perros
, received a BAFTA Best Screenplay nomination for 21 Grams
, and received the 2005 Cannes Best Screenplay
Award for The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
.
. At the age of 13, he lost the sense of smell after a brutal street fight that would later serve as inspiration for some of his work.
"Contrary to widespread reports, Arriaga did not come of age in a violent Mexico City neighborhood ("I can't tell you how many times I've changed that on Wikipedia," he says, "only for it to be changed back a half-hour later"), though he did, in fact, lose his sense of smell at 13 in a street brawl."
Before engaging in his writing career, Arriaga tried out a variety of jobs and professions, amongst which were that of boxer, basketball player and professional soccer player. He completed a B.A. in Communications and a M.A. in Psychology at the Ibero-American University.
and decided to make a feature length, multiplot film set in Mexico City. The result was Amores Perros
(2000), one of the most heavily praised films in the recent history of Mexican cinema. The film, with its gritty look at the underbelly of Mexican life received an Oscar
nomination for "Best Foreign Film" as well as a BAFTA Film Award for "Best Film not in the English Language," the "Critics Week Grand Prize" and "Young Critics Award" at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival
as well as many other awards from festivals and societies around the world.
The success of Amores Perros
earned Arriaga and Iñárritu an invitation to the U.S. to work on the Universal/Focus feature film 21 Grams
, starring Benicio del Toro
, Naomi Watts
and Sean Penn
. Watts and del Toro received Academy Award nominations for their performances.
Iñárritu and Arriaga collaborated on a third movie, Babel, to form a trilogy with his first two pictures focusing on the theme of death. However, friction between writer and director led to Iñárritu banning Arriaga from attending the 2006 Cannes screening of Babel. Nevertheless, Inarritu and Arriaga both received Academy Award nominations for their work.
On January 19, 2007, the film adaptation of his book El Búfalo de la Noche
directed by Jorge Hernandez Aldana premiered at the Sundance film festival
. It features an original score by Omar Rodríguez-López
of The Mars Volta
. The main title sequence for this movie was created by Canadian
studio Mucho Motion and One Size from the Netherlands.
An award-winning screenwriter, Arriaga has repeatedly stated that he hates being called a "screenwriter" and that he hates screenplays being referred to as such. He claims that he and all other screenwriters are writers, and the title of screenwriter diminishes the work of screenwriters. He now continuously advocates for screenwriters being referred to as "writers" and screenplays being referred to as "Works of Film". However, in a TV interview at KUSI in San Diego on September 10, 2009, he clarified that he did not really mind the English word "screenwriter." It was the word in Spanish which he did not like. The Spanish word most often associated with screenwriters, "guionista", is also used to describe people who write tour guidebooks. He does not think of himself as a guidebook author.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
. Self-defined as “a hunter who works as a writer,” he authored Amores Perros
Amores perros
Amores perros is a 2000 neorealist Mexican film, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Amores Perros is the first movie in Iñárritu's trilogy of death, and was followed by 21 Grams and Babel. It is a triptych; an anthology film, sometimes referred to as the "Mexican Pulp Fiction," containing...
, received a BAFTA Best Screenplay nomination for 21 Grams
21 Grams
21 Grams is a 2003 American drama film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga. It stars Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Danny Huston, and Benicio del Toro....
, and received the 2005 Cannes Best Screenplay
Best Screenplay Award (Cannes Film Festival)
The Best Screenplay Award is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the jury from the 'official section' of movies at the festival...
Award for The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is a 2005 American drama film directed by Tommy Lee Jones and written by Guillermo Arriaga. It stars Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Pepper, Julio Cedillo, and Dwight Yoakam....
.
Early life
Arriaga was born in Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. At the age of 13, he lost the sense of smell after a brutal street fight that would later serve as inspiration for some of his work.
"Contrary to widespread reports, Arriaga did not come of age in a violent Mexico City neighborhood ("I can't tell you how many times I've changed that on Wikipedia," he says, "only for it to be changed back a half-hour later"), though he did, in fact, lose his sense of smell at 13 in a street brawl."
Before engaging in his writing career, Arriaga tried out a variety of jobs and professions, amongst which were that of boxer, basketball player and professional soccer player. He completed a B.A. in Communications and a M.A. in Psychology at the Ibero-American University.
Career
While teaching at the Universidad Iberoamericana, Arriaga met future film director Alejandro González IñárrituAlejandro González Iñárritu
Alejandro González Iñárritu is a Mexican film director.González Iñárritu is the first Mexican director to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director and by the DGA of America for Best Director. He is also the first and only Mexican born director to have won the Prix de la mise en scene...
and decided to make a feature length, multiplot film set in Mexico City. The result was Amores Perros
Amores perros
Amores perros is a 2000 neorealist Mexican film, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Amores Perros is the first movie in Iñárritu's trilogy of death, and was followed by 21 Grams and Babel. It is a triptych; an anthology film, sometimes referred to as the "Mexican Pulp Fiction," containing...
(2000), one of the most heavily praised films in the recent history of Mexican cinema. The film, with its gritty look at the underbelly of Mexican life received an Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
nomination for "Best Foreign Film" as well as a BAFTA Film Award for "Best Film not in the English Language," the "Critics Week Grand Prize" and "Young Critics Award" at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
as well as many other awards from festivals and societies around the world.
The success of Amores Perros
Amores perros
Amores perros is a 2000 neorealist Mexican film, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Amores Perros is the first movie in Iñárritu's trilogy of death, and was followed by 21 Grams and Babel. It is a triptych; an anthology film, sometimes referred to as the "Mexican Pulp Fiction," containing...
earned Arriaga and Iñárritu an invitation to the U.S. to work on the Universal/Focus feature film 21 Grams
21 Grams
21 Grams is a 2003 American drama film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga. It stars Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Danny Huston, and Benicio del Toro....
, starring Benicio del Toro
Benicio del Toro
Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez is a Puerto Rican and Spanish actor and film producer. He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award for his role as Javier Rodríguez in Traffic . He is also known for his roles as Fred Fenster in The Usual...
, Naomi Watts
Naomi Watts
Naomi Ellen Watts is a British actress. Watts began her career in Australian television, where she appeared in series such as Hey Dad..! , Brides of Christ , and Home and Away . Her film debut was the 1986 drama For Love Alone...
and Sean Penn
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
. Watts and del Toro received Academy Award nominations for their performances.
Iñárritu and Arriaga collaborated on a third movie, Babel, to form a trilogy with his first two pictures focusing on the theme of death. However, friction between writer and director led to Iñárritu banning Arriaga from attending the 2006 Cannes screening of Babel. Nevertheless, Inarritu and Arriaga both received Academy Award nominations for their work.
On January 19, 2007, the film adaptation of his book El Búfalo de la Noche
The Night Buffalo
The Night Buffalo is a novel by Guillermo Arriaga.-Plot summary:After Gregorio commits suicide, his friend Manuel finds himself unraveling his late friend’s world, and what led him to suicide. Gregorio’s tortuous relationship with his girlfriend is now inherited by Manuel; he becomes involved...
directed by Jorge Hernandez Aldana premiered at the Sundance film festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
. It features an original score by Omar Rodríguez-López
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, writer, actor and film director who was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico...
of The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and...
. The main title sequence for this movie was created by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
studio Mucho Motion and One Size from the Netherlands.
An award-winning screenwriter, Arriaga has repeatedly stated that he hates being called a "screenwriter" and that he hates screenplays being referred to as such. He claims that he and all other screenwriters are writers, and the title of screenwriter diminishes the work of screenwriters. He now continuously advocates for screenwriters being referred to as "writers" and screenplays being referred to as "Works of Film". However, in a TV interview at KUSI in San Diego on September 10, 2009, he clarified that he did not really mind the English word "screenwriter." It was the word in Spanish which he did not like. The Spanish word most often associated with screenwriters, "guionista", is also used to describe people who write tour guidebooks. He does not think of himself as a guidebook author.
Filmography
- Un Dulce Olor a Muerte (1999)
- Amores perrosAmores perrosAmores perros is a 2000 neorealist Mexican film, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Amores Perros is the first movie in Iñárritu's trilogy of death, and was followed by 21 Grams and Babel. It is a triptych; an anthology film, sometimes referred to as the "Mexican Pulp Fiction," containing...
(2000) ISBN 0-571-21415-0 - The Hire: Powder Keg (2001)
- 21 Grams21 Grams21 Grams is a 2003 American drama film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga. It stars Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Danny Huston, and Benicio del Toro....
(2004) ISBN 0-571-22266-8 - The Three Burials of Melquiades EstradaThe Three Burials of Melquiades EstradaThe Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is a 2005 American drama film directed by Tommy Lee Jones and written by Guillermo Arriaga. It stars Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Pepper, Julio Cedillo, and Dwight Yoakam....
(2005); had an acting cameo in the film as a bear hunter - Babel (2006)
- El Búfalo de la NocheEl Búfalo de la Noche (film)El Búfalo de la Noche is a 2007 film directed by Jorge Hernandez Aldana and based on the novel by the same name written by Guillermo Arriaga. It is based on the novel by Guillermo Arriaga and stars Diego Luna. It was released in Mexico on August 17, 2007. The U.S...
(2007) - The Burning PlainThe Burning PlainThe Burning Plain is a 2008 drama film directed and written by Guillermo Arriaga, the screenwriter of Amores perros , 21 Grams , and Babel . The film stars Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence, Kim Basinger and Joaquim de Almeida...
(2009)
Novels
- Escuadrón Guillotina (1991)
- Un Dulce Olor a Muerte (1994) ISBN 958-04-6169-4
- El Búfalo de la Noche (1999) ISBN 0-7432-8666-9
- Night Buffalo (2007), translated by Alan Page ISBN 0-7432-8186-1
- A Sweet Scent of Death (2007), translated by Alan Page ISBN 0-7432-9679-6
- The Guillotine Squad (2007), translated by Alan Page ISBN 0-7432-9681-8