Los Angeles, CA – A sprawling, immersive installation reimagining Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s landmark 2000 film, Amores Perros, opened to the public Sunday at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The exhibition, titled SUEÑO PERRO: A Film Installation by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, coincides with the 25th anniversary of the film’s release and features previously unseen footage recovered from the original production.
The installation, housed on Level 1 of LACMA’s BCAM building, presents a unique opportunity to experience the film’s raw emotional core through a new lens. Iñárritu unearthed approximately one million feet – roughly 300 kilometers – of discarded 35mm film, describing the material as “the placenta” of the film, a frozen life-source now revitalized. “It was like finding a lost limb,” Iñárritu explained, according to LACMA’s event description. “It has new DNA to come alive in a completely different form.”
Unlike previous iterations of the exhibition in Milan and Mexico, LACMA’s space presented a unique challenge. Iñárritu initially worried the confined quarters would create an overwhelming sensory experience, a “mega guacamole” of projected images and sound. Instead, he embraced the density, creating what he termed a “paranoiac version” of the exhibit, where six screens assault the viewer simultaneously. This approach, he noted, mirrors the fragmented nature of human memory, drawing inspiration from Latin American authors like Julio Cortázar.
To achieve the desired immersive effect, Iñárritu eschewed traditional exhibition techniques. Instead of hanging fabric, he utilized vintage 35mm analog projectors – sourced from a Regal cinema in Los Angeles – to project images through water-based smoke, creating literal sculptures of light. The installation culminates in a dedicated space focused on the film’s central car crash sequence, which was originally filmed in a single, continuous take using nine cameras.
Accompanying the installation is a commemorative 25th-anniversary book, Amores Perros, published by MACK. The 336-page bilingual publication offers an unprecedented look into the film’s production, featuring storyboards by Fernando Llanos, Iñárritu’s handwritten notes, and previously unseen on-set photography discovered in a forgotten storage box. The discovery prompted Iñárritu to expand his planned introduction from three pages to a 20-page reflection. The book also includes contributions from filmmakers Denis Villeneuve and Walter Salles, as well as novelists Jorge Volpi and Wendy Guerra, and film critic Elvis Mitchell.
A screening of Amores Perros, followed by a conversation between Iñárritu and LACMA director Michael Govan, took place Sunday evening at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ David Geffen Theater. Iñárritu famously resisted attempts by the film’s US distributor to alter the title, successfully defending the original Spanish name, Amores Perros, against a translation he reportedly disliked.
The milestone anniversary has prompted Iñárritu to reflect on his early career. He recalled attending a 25th-anniversary screening of Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1900 at the Cannes Film Festival and wondering about the older director’s perspective. Now, Iñárritu finds himself in a similar position. Despite celebrating his early, rule-breaking work, he is focused on future projects, including his upcoming feature, Digger, starring Tom Cruise, scheduled for theatrical release on October 2, 2026.
SUEÑO PERRO will remain on view at LACMA through July 26, 2026.
