Guillermo Arriaga

Novelist and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga first hit the international radar in 2000 with the release of "Amores Perros," a gritty film whose non-linear storytelling and unique exploration of death helped spotlight the unknown world of Mexican independent film. The Mexico City native had already made a name for himself as a novelist and college professor, but his trilogy of film collaborations with director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu earned him a world of new audiences. His literary roots, boldly complex structure, and fearlessness to delve into the things people fear most, helped raise the bar of what a Hollywood film with A-list actors could accomplish, as well as what producers believed an audience could handle.