Since it was first presented at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017, Alejandro Iñárritu’s “CARNE y ARENA” has captivated audiences in Mexico City, Milan and Los Angeles.

Now, Dallas will have a chance to experience the project. It earned Iñárritu—whose filmography includes Amores perros, Babel and The Revenant—a Special Achievement Academy Award in 2018, the first time such an honor had been awarded in over 20 years. 

“Bearing sympathetic witness to the plight of the migrant and refugee, we trust this immersive, physical experience will bring compassionate discourse to the immigration debate, not only in this country, but around the world, and we are delighted to be part of that progress,” said Nasher Sculpture Center director Jeremy Strick in a statement. 

A user walking through in the immersive experience. Photo by Emmanuel Lubezki.

The immersive experience is based on multiple interviews Iñárritu conducted with Central American and Mexican refugees. 

Visitors are placed among a group of immigrants making their way to the U.S. border, walking through a sand-filled room as they follow the personal journeys of Iñárritu’s subjects. 

The project’s producers worked with PHI Studio, a Montreal-based firm that develops immersive works, to bring the experience to Dallas. 

“The CARNE y ARENA experience highlights a human situation that concerns us all,” said Phoebe Greenberg, founder of PHI Studio. “By witnessing the incredible stories of these migrants and refugees, we have no choice but to become aware of a reality that may seem remote to us. Compelled by this striking work at its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and then in Washington, D.C., we did everything possible to adapt the installation so that it could travel around the world and now be experienced in Texas.” 

Alejandro Iñárritu directs on the motion capture stage. Photo by Chachi Ramirez, courtesy of Legendary.

The Dallas installation is the first time the immersive experience will be presented in Texas. “CARNE y ARENA” premieres January 21st at the Food and Fiber Pavilion at Fair Park. Tickets are on sale now at nashersculpturecenter.org.

Got a tip? Email Miguel Perez at mperez@kera.org. You can follow him on Twitter @quillindie.

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