Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Creates Harrowing Virtual Reality Project


A former teacher and education administrator, John Heintz is a Chicago-based public attorney who earned a master of business administration from the University of Chicago and a juris doctor from the John Marshall Law School. The co-founder and senior legal consultant of Lydian, Inc., he recently served as assistant superintendent for operations and chief legal officer at Niles Township High School District 219 in Skokie. In his free time, John Heintz enjoys watching films directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

An Oscar-winning director, Inarritu is best known for his feature films such as Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) and The Revenant. However, his latest project is a virtual reality (VR) installation piece titled Carne y Arena. Developed with assistance from Industrial Light & Magic xLAB, the VR project allows its participants to experience a death-defying trek across the Mexico-United States border. 

The VR experience debuted at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and includes desperate and hungry refugees trudging along next to you as well as border patrol helicopters and SUVs full of armed officers ready to arrest anyone they encounter. At one point, the officers track the group and point a semi-automatic weapon at the participant. The film has since been featured at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Fondazione Prada in Milan.

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