The director talks
"The Burning Plain"

Host Maaika Westen interviews Guillermo Arriaga, a screenwriter, producer and director.

Guillermo authored "Amores Perros," as well as received a BAFTA Best Screenplay nomination for "21 Grams."  In 2005, he won the Cannes Best Screenplay Award for "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada." Additionally, he received an Academy Award® nomination for "Babel."

In the 2009 interview, Guillermo talks about screenwriting, what the common occurrences in each of his films, and making his directorial debut with "The Burning Plain."



Studio Synopsis for "The Burning Plain":
"The Burning Plain," a romantic mystery about a woman on the edge who takes an emotional journey back to the defining moment of her life. Oscar®-winner Charlize Theron plays Sylvia, a beautiful restaurant manager whose cool, professional demeanor masks the sexually charged storm within. When a stranger from Mexico confronts her with her mysterious past, Sylvia is launched into a journey through space and time that inextricably connects her to these disparate characters, all of whom are grappling with their own romantic destinies.

In Mexico, a young motherless girl, Maria (Tessa La), lives happily with her father and his best friend until a tragic accident changes it all. In the New Mexico border town of Las Cruces, two teenagers, Mariana (Jennifer Lawrence) and Santiago (JD Pardo), find love in the aftermath of their parents’ sudden deaths. In an abandoned trailer, a housewife, Gina (Oscar-winner Kim Basinger), embarks on a passionate affair that will put Sylvia and the others on a collision course with the explosive power of forbidden love.

From 2929 Productions ("Good Night and Good Luck," "We Own the Night"), the film was produced by Walter Parkes and Laurie Macdonald ("Catch Me If You Can," "Sweeney Todd") and executive produced by Todd Wagner, Mark Cuban, Marc Butan, and Ray Angelic.