Iñárritu's VR Installation Carne Y Arena Debuts at Cannes 2017

Alejandro G. Iñárritu's virtual reality installation Carne Y Arena (Virtually Present, Physically Invisible) premiered in the official selection of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, marking the first VR project ever included in a festival's official lineup. The six-and-a-half-minute piece, created in collaboration with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, producer Mary Parent, and ILMxLAB, explores the experience of migrants and refugees. Iñárritu interviewed Mexican and Central American refugees over four years, some of whom contributed to the project. Visitors walk through a multi-narrative space using innovative VR technology, blurring the line between reality and fiction. Germano Celant, Artistic and Scientific Superintendent of Fondazione Prada, described the work as a communicative revolution where seeing transforms into feeling and physically sharing cinema. The installation will later travel to Fondazione Prada in Milan and other international museums. Iñárritu, the first Mexican director nominated for an Oscar, previously presented Amores Perros, Babel (Best Director 2006), and Biutiful at Cannes.