Oscar-winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu will be back with a new film by the end of 2022. Netflix has acquired the “Revenant” filmmaker’s new comedy “BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” for release globally in theaters and on Netflix at the end of the year.
Written by Iñárritu and Nicolás Giacobone (who previously collaborated on the Oscar-winning script for “Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance” and “Biutiful”), “BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” is described as a nostalgic comedy set against an epic personal journey. It chronicles the story of a renowned Mexican journalist and documentary filmmaker, who returns home and works through an existential crisis as he grapples with his identity, familial relationships, the folly of his memories as well as the past of his country. He seeks answers in his past to reconcile who he is in the present.
Iñárritu shot the “deeply personal” film in his hometown of Mexico City, and the project is currently in post-production and expected to wrap by fall.
“Alejandro is one of the greatest modern filmmakers and one of the leading visionaries in our industry,” said Netflix Head of Global Film Scott Stuber. “’BARDO’ is a cinematic experience that has inspired us to create a release strategy designed for the film to penetrate culture in the biggest and widest way. We will give film lovers everywhere the opportunity to experience the film through a global theatrical release and the film’s worldwide release on Netflix. Having known Alejandro for a long time, I am personally very excited to finally be able to work alongside him and to bring his film to a global audience.”
Shot on 65mm and boasting cinematography from Academy Award-nominee Darius Khondji (“Se7en”), “BARDO” will enjoy a theatrical release on a global scale later this year including in Mexico, its country of origin, as well as the US, Canada, UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Japan and Korea, among many more before debuting on Netflix.
Iñàrritu previously worked with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki on his last two films to Oscar-winning effect.
“BARDO” stars Daniel Giménez Cacho and Griselda Siciliani. In addition to Khondji, the film features a below-the-line team that includes production design by the Oscar-winning Mexican designer Eugenio Caballero (“Pan’s Labyrinth”) and costume design by Anna Terrazas (“ROMA”).
Netflix previously released noteworthy titles like Alfonso Cuaron’s “ROMA,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” and Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up” in theaters before the films were available to stream on Netflix, and for Iñárritu’s first Netflix feature it appears he’s being given a similar rollout strategy – although it’s unclear if “BARDO” will have an exclusive theatrical window or if the film will release on streaming and in theaters on the same day.
This is Iñárritu’s first film since 2015’s “The Revenant,” which earned him a Best Director Oscar on the heels of 2014’s “Birdman” which won Best Director, Picture and Original Screenplay. Iñárritu is one of only three directors to win back-to-back Best Director Oscars.
