Alejandro González Iñárritu

(image via Rottentomatoes.com)

He’s never taken a film class in his life, but Alejandro González Iñárritu has managed to direct three critically-acclaimed films in six years. His latest release, Babel, has earned him a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama, along with eight Oscar nominations, including Best Motion Picture of the Year and Achievement in Directing. Not bad for a guy who got kicked out of high school.

The 43-year-old Mexican director exploded in 2000 with Amores Perros, a gritty tale about life, loss and love in Mexico City, told through three interweaving storylines. The film sparked international interest in Mexican cinema, launched the career of actor Gael García Bernal and was nominated for an Oscar – eventually losing to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

In 2003, Iñárritu followed with 21 Grams, starring Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro, revisiting the themes of – and with a style similar to – Amores Perros. The film received mixed reviews, with one critic calling it “shallow” and “manipulative.” Iñárritu stands by his style: “I think the audience is tired of being told everything in the first 15 minutes for fear that they won't follow.”

Before making it as a director, González Iñárritu was a well-known radio DJ, and then a television producer for Mexican TV giant Televisa. He soon transitioned into advertising, writing and directing TV commercials – where he says he learned the craft: "Advertising gives you a lot of vices...but at the same time, it gives you the capacity to…tell a story in one minute." While making commercials, Iñárritu studied filmmaking on his own, eventually finding a partner in novelist Guillermo Arriaga, with whom he has co-written Amores Perros, 21 Grams and most recently Babel.

Iñárritu is close friends with two other immensely successful Mexican directors, Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo Del Toro. All three directors, dubbed the Mexican Wave, have released critically-acclaimed films in the last year, with Cuarón’s Children of Men and Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth. The self-described frustrated musician, Iñárritu – nicknamed "El Negro" – has become one of Hollywood’s rock stars.