Conflict Erupts Between ‘Babel’ Director & Screenwriter

MEXICO CITY (February 27, 2007) — The chasm grows even wider between the filmmaking duo who gained worldwide success with movies about the connections among disparate locations and characters — and people are taking sides. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga have accused each other of trying to steal the spotlight amid the success of their latest film, “Babel.” Now Inarritu and other “Babel” collaborators, including actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Adriana Barraza and composer Gustavo Santaolalla, have signed a letter criticizing Arriaga for “claiming media attention.” “It’s a shame that in your unjustified obsession to claim sole responsibility for the film, you seem not to recognize that movies are an art of deep collaboration,” said the letter, published in the latest edition of Mexico’s Chilango magazine, released Monday. In a radio interview, Arriaga shot back that Inarritu was stealing credit for “Babel” by listing himself in the credits as the movie’s creator. Both Inarritu and Arriaga were nominated for Academy Awards for their work on “Babel,” which was also up for best picture. Santaolalla was the only winner Sunday night among the film’s seven Oscar nominations, taking home his second straight statuette for best original score. Inarritu and Arriaga had been a team for nine years, gaining acclaim with their films “Amores Perros” and “21 Grams.” The end of their working relationship dates back at least to last May’s Cannes Film Festival. In the letter, Inarritu wishes Arriaga “luck in your future movies.”