10 · 13 · 14 Birdman by Alejandro González Iñárritu opens the 12th FICM Share with twitter Share with facebook Share with mail Copy to clipboard The Morelia International Film Festival (FICM) is pleased to announce the opening film of its 12th edition: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) by Alejandro González Iñárritu. The film will be presented on October 17 in Morelia, Michoacán, with the presence of the extraordinary Mexican director. Daniela Michel, director of FICM, pointed out: “It is a great privilege for FICM to open with a master work like Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). We are extremely happy to welcome a director like Alejandro González Iñárritu, who I’m very fortunate to have known for many years. His genius, enormous generosity as an artist and a human being, as well as his incredible creative ability fill us with pride, as they have left an historic mark on contemporary film.” Directors of the stature of Alfonso Cuarón, Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh and Tommy Lee Jones have opened previous editions of the festival. This is the second occasion that FICM has the honor of opening with a film by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Biutiful opened the festival edition in 2010. About Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is a black comedy that tells the story of an actor Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) — famous for having played an iconic superhero— as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career and himself. Iñárritu notes that elements of Riggan’s story resonated with him, particularly the ephemeral nature of success and the question of relevance. “I was interested in exploring the battles with the ego, the idea that no matter how successful you are, whether in money or recognition, it’s always an illusion. It’s temporary. When you are chasing the things you think you want and empower the people to validate you, when you finally get them, you soon find an impermanence in that joy.” “Riggan is profoundly human,” Iñárritu says. “I see him as a kind of Don Quijote, where the humor comes from the disparity and permanent dislocation of his solemn ambitions and the ignoble reality around him. Basically, it is the story of us all.” The film stars Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone and Naomi Watts, and is a Fox Searchlight Pictures/New Regency presentation of a New Regency/M Productions/Le Grisbi production. The screenplay is written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr. and Armando Bo. The producers are Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan and James W. Skotchdopole. The credits also include Director of Photography Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity, The Tree of Life, Children of Men), production designer Kevin Thompson (The Bourne Legacy, Michael Clayton) and music composed by Antonio Sanchez. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) will be released in Mexico on November 13, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJfLoE6hanc About Alejandro González Iñárritu In 2000, Alejandro G. Iñárritu made his breakthrough with Amores Perros which received an Oscar nomination for best foreign film and won the Semaine de la Critique prize at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2003 Iñárritu directed his next feature film 21 Grams starring Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Naomi Watts. The film participated in the 60th Venice Film Festival where Penn won the Coppa Volpi for Best Actor, and both Watts and Del Toro received Oscar nominations for their performances. In 2006, Iñárritu directed Babel, the last film of his trilogy starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael García Bernal and introducing new actors such as Adriana Barraza, Rinko Kikuchi and several non-actors around the world. For Babel, he was awarded the prize for best director at the 59th Cannes Film Festival. The film garnered seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Director and won the Oscar for best original soundtrack. It also received seven Golden Globes nominations and won the prize for Best Motion Picture –Drama. In 2007 Iñárritu was a member of the International Jury of the 64th Venice Film Festival’s Competition. In 2010 he presented Biutiful in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, where Javier Bardem won the prize for Best Actor (tied with Elio Germano for La Nostra Vita). The film received an Oscar nomination for best foreign film, and Bardem was nominated for best actor as well.
