LACMA to Honor González Iñárritu at This Year’s Art + Film Gala

Posted on July 17, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro González Iñárritu is being feted for his “daring and nimble vision”…

The 51-year-old Oscar-winning Mexican filmmaker will be honored alongside light and space artist James Turrell at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s fifth Art + Film Gala on November 7.

LACMA trustee Eva Chow and actor Leonardo DiCaprio will once again co-chair the annual fundraiser presented by Gucci.

“In only a few years, LACMA’s Art + Film Gala has established its reputation for honoring artists and filmmakers whose impact can be felt worldwide and that have particular relevance to Los Angeles, and James Turrell and Alejandro G. Inarritu certainly fit that bill,” said Michael Govan, LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg director, who further elaborated on the selections.

“In the last two decades, Inarritu has displayed a daring and nimble vision for films including Birdman and Babel; his work has rightly garnered the highest of critical acclaim.”

González Iñárritu won three golden statuettes as the 87th Academy Awards for Birdman, becoming the first-ever three-time Latino Oscar winner in history.

His five feature films – Amores perros (2000), 21 Grams (2003), Babel (2006), Biutiful (2010) and Birdman (2014) – have garnered wide acclaim.

Past honorees include Barbara Kruger, Quentin Tarantino, David Hockney, Martin Scorsese, Ed Ruscha and Stanley Kubrick.

“The Art + Film Gala is now an annual highlight and brings together figures from the worlds of art, cinema, fashion and music to support the museum,” said longtime supporter and fashion designer Chow. “It’s a real honor and my pleasure to welcome two such unique and greatly talented artists whose work moves and inspires me deeply. And I am thrilled to co-chair this important fundraiser with Leonardo DiCaprio, whose support for this initiative is so critical.”

Funds from the Art + Film Gala support LACMA’s growing mission to make film a more prominent aspect of the museum’s programming, by way of exhibitions, educational sessions and screenings that explore how the film and art worlds converge.

Barraza to Star in USA Network’s Drama Pilot “Queen Of The South”

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Adriana Barraza’s heading south for the upcoming television season…

The 58-year-old Mexican actress, an Oscar nominee for her performance in Babel, has landed a starring role in USA Network’s drama pilot Queen Of The South.

The project, an English-language adaptation of Telemundo’s blockbuster 2011 telenovela La Reina del Sur, is based on the best-selling book by Arturo Perez-Reverte.

Queen Of The South centers on Teresa Mendoza (portrayed by Alice Braga), who’s forced to go on the run when her drug-dealing boyfriend is unexpectedly murdered in Mexico.

Barraza will play Camilla, the lioness ex-wife of a powerful drug lord who is establishing her own empire in America.

She quickly becomes a mother figure to Teresa (Braga), but their relationship escalates into a battle of wills that will leave more than a few bodies in its wake.

Barraza most recently appeared in Guillermo del Toro’s FX series The Strain and the feature Cake. Her 0ther film credits include Amores Perros, Thor, Drag Me To Hell and The 33.

The Queen of the South cast includes Justina Machado and Hemky Madera.

Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Birdman” to Close the New York Film Festival

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro González Iñárritu is bringing his bird to the Big Apple…

Birdman, a dramedy co-written and directed by the 50-year-old Mexican filmmaker, has been selected as the closing night film at this year’s New York Film Festival on October 12, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The film, which is being distributed by Fox Searchlight and will be released in theaters on October 17, will have its world premiere on the opening night of the Venice Film Festival on Aug. 27.

Birdman stars Michael Keaton as a washed-up movie star trying to revive his career on Broadway. The cast also includes Emma Stone, Andrea Riseborough, Zach Galifianakis, Merritt Wever, Edward Norton, Amy Ryan and Naomi Watts.

The film was lensed by Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity), reportedly in a way that gives the appearance that the entire film is one continuous shot.

A González Iñárritu film closed the NYFF once before: 21 Grams screened in that slot in 2003. (The director’s first trip to the fest, though, was in 2000, with Amores Perros.)

González Iñárritu’s Black Comedy “Birdman” to be Released in October

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro González Iñárritu’s next project will be migrating to theaters in October…

Fox Searchlight co-president Stephen Gilula has announced that the 50-year-old Mexican filmmaker’s Birdman will open in theaters on Friday, October 17.

The film isn’t expected to complete post-production until late May or early June, with producers it eyeing fall festivals for its premiere.

It’s González Iñárritu’s first black comedy, following the Academy Award-nominated director’s dramatic films Amores perros (2000), 21 Grams (2003), Babel (2006) and Biutiful.

“It’s the heart of the fall, and a great time historically for us with films like Sideways, 12 Years A Slave, and historically Slumdog Millionaire and Black Swan,” Gilula tells Deadline.com. “We’ve had great success launching films at festivals, but this hasn’t been screened for anyone, despite the speculation. Alejandro is famous for his meticulous work in post-production, and this film is unusual for him in that is has some visual effects, and an unusual sound design. The most important thing is to make sure that the film is right.”

The film has an all-star cast that includes Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone and his muse Naomi Watts, who appeared in the director’s Babel and 21 Grams.

Keaton plays a washed up actor who once played an iconic superhero who tries to mount a stage play despite his dysfunction and the dysfunction of others in his repertoire.

Inarritu wrote the film with Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and Armando Bo.

González Iñárritu Reportedly In Talks to Direct “The Jungle Book”

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It appears Alejandro González Iñárritu may be booking a trip to the jungle for his next project…

Warner Bros. is reportedly in early talks with the 50-year-old Mexican filmmaker to direct The Jungle Book, a new version of the popular Rudyard Kipling novel about an orphaned boy raised in the wilderness by animals, according to Deadline.com.

The project is one of the studio’s top priorities, with a script by Callie Kloves, daughter of Harry Potter series scribe Steve Kloves, who is producing the film.

Bur this isn’t the only Jungle Book project in the works…

Disney is pursuing its own live action version of The Jungle Book, recently hiring Elf and Iron Man helmer Jon Favreau to direct the film.

The book is public domain, but as usual the first one to make it into production usually becomes the Tarzan of the jungle.

After several serious dramas including Amores perros, Babel and 21 Grams, Iñárritu recently took on a comedy for his most recent film Birdman, which is wrapping up now.

He’s also attached to the New Regency 1820s frontier revenge tale The Revenant.

Garcia Bernal Cast in Amazon Studios Pilot “Mozart in the Jungle”

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Gael García Bernal is about to get classical…

The 34-year-old Mexican actor/director has signed on to star in Amazon Studios’ comedy pilot Mozart In The Jungle.

Based on the memoir by Blair Tindal of the same name, the project is all about sex, drugs and classical music and shows that what happens behind the curtains at the symphony can be just as captivating as what happens onstage.

García Bernal, best known for his roles in Y tu mamá también, Amores perros and Babel, will play Gustavo, an enfant terrible who’s utterly devoted to his art as a conductor — but also to his image.

The pilot was written by Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman and Alex Timbers.

García Bernal, who last appeared on screen in the Oscar-nominated Spanish language film No, will next star in the films The Ardor and Rosewater.

Barraza Joining George Lopez in FX’s Sitcom “Saint George”

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Adriana Barraza has landed a saintly project…

The 57-year-old Mexican actress, who earned an Oscar nomination for her heart-wrenching role as Mexican nanny Amelia in the Brad Pitt-starrer Babel, will co-star opposite George Lopez in Saint George, FX’s upcoming 10-90 sitcom from Lionsgate TV and Debmar-Mercury.

Created and co-written by Matt Williams, David McFadzean and Lopez, Saint George revolves around the chaotic life of a recently divorced working class Mexican-American turned successful entrepreneur (portrayed Lopez), who struggles to balance his demanding ex-wife, his 11-year-old son, his overbearing mother (Barraza) who just moved in, and his uncle. If that isn’t enough, he also has to deal with his new role teaching history once a week at a night school.

Barraza, also recently booked a recurring arc on Guillermo Del Toro’s FX drama The Strain, starring Mia Maestro.

In her native Mexico, Barraza is best known for her role in Amores Perros. Her other credits include Henry Poole Is Here, Drag Me to Hell, Spanglish, From Prada to Nada and Thor.

González Iñárritu Casts Edward Norton in “Birdman”

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro González Iñárritu has found the foil for his first comedy film…

The 49-year-old Mexican filmmaker, known for dramatic films like 21 Grams, Babel and Amores perros, has cast Edward Norton in his dark comedy Birdman.

From Fox Searchlight and New Regency, the film will center on a former actor ( played by Michael Keaton) who once played a superhero who puts together a play on Broadway based on a short story by Raymond Carver. Unfortunately, the ex-superhero’s plans to soar again are threatened by his egotistical lead stage actor portrayed by Norton.

Along with Norton and Keaton, the cast includes Emma Stone, Naomi Watts and Zach Galifianakis.

The film will be shot in a Broadway theater in New York beginning mid-April.

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