The winner of two consecutive Oscars for Best Director (Birdman in 2015, The Revenant in 2016), Alejandro G. Iñárritu is known for his exploration of the human condition, coupled with his visual style, which have established him as a force to be reckoned with.

His latest work, CARNE y ARENA (Virtually present, Physically invisible), is a conceptual virtual reality installation based on true accounts that allows the viewer to experience a fragment of the personal journeys of refugees. First presented at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, it was awarded a special Oscar at the ninth annual Governors Awards, Iñárritu's fifth Academy Award. The Academy stated they were presenting the award to recognize a "visionary and powerful experience in storytelling".

Iñárritu was film mentor in the 2014–2015 Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, where he took his protégé on the set of The Revenant.

Time is an essential element of his films, as he stated: "Our life is multidimensional, but time is linear we cannot escape that. Cinema is a two-dimensional reality within a frame, but time and space are fragmented which is why it’s so liberating and addictive."