Guillermo Arriaga Movies and Career Information

Guillermo Arriaga Jordán (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡiˈʎermo aˈrjaɣa]; born 13 March 1958) is a Mexican author, screenwriter, director and producer. Self-defined as “a hunter who works as a writer,” he authored Amores Perros, received a BAFTA Best Screenplay nomination for 21 Grams, and received the 2005 Cannes Best Screenplay Award for The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. Arriaga was born in Mexico City and spent his childhood in one of the most violent sectors of the metropolis. At the age of 13, he lost the sense of smell after a brutal street fight that would later serve as inspiration for some of his work. "Contrary to widespread reports, Arriaga did not come of age in a violent Mexico City neighborhood ("I can't tell you how many times I've changed that on Wikipedia," he says, "only for it to be changed back a half-hour later"), though he did, in fact, lose his sense of smell at 13 in a street brawl." Before engaging in his writing career, Arriaga tried out a variety of jobs and professions, amongst which were that of boxer, basketball player and professional soccer player. He completed a B.A. in Communications and a M.A. in Psychology at the Ibero-American University,