Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s SUEÑO PERRO Brings Unseen Amores perros Footage to LACMA

Courtesy of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) presents SUEÑO PERRO: A Film Installation by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, on view from February 22 through July 26, 2026. Rooted at the intersection of cinema and contemporary visual art, the exhibition marks the 25th anniversary of Amores perros (2000), the Mexican filmmaker’s explosive debut that reshaped global cinema with its fractured narratives and visceral realism.

Conceived as a multisensory installation, SUEÑO PERRO resurrects never-before-seen footage cut from Amores perros and long believed lost. These fragments—buried for decades in the archives of the National Autonomous University of Mexico—are recontextualized into gritty vignettes that pulse with themes of love, betrayal, and violence. The result is not a nostalgic revisit but a confrontation with stories that still resonate powerfully today.

The installation captures the interconnected sociopolitical realities of Mexico City with a rawness that feels strikingly contemporary. Faces, streets, and moments once left on the cutting room floor now form a parallel cinematic memory—one that expands the emotional and political scope of the original film. Iñárritu transforms absence into presence, inviting viewers to experience what cinema leaves behind as much as what it reveals.

At LACMA, SUEÑO PERRO is curated by Deliasofia Zacarias, chief of staff and curatorial assistant in the Director’s Office. Her approach frames the installation as both an artwork and an archive, blurring boundaries between film exhibition, spatial experience, and historical record. The museum context allows Iñárritu’s images to breathe beyond the screen, immersing audiences in sound, scale, and atmosphere.

Complementing the exhibition, LACMA will host a public program featuring a screening of Amores perros (2000), followed by a conversation between Alejandro G. Iñárritu and LACMA director Michael Govan. The dialogue promises insight into the film’s enduring legacy and the creative process behind SUEÑO PERRO, offering a rare opportunity to hear directly from one of contemporary cinema’s most influential voices.

With SUEÑO PERRO, Iñárritu revisits his own cinematic past not to revise it, but to expose its unresolved echoes. The installation stands as a meditation on memory, violence, and urban life—reminding us that some images, even unseen, never stop shaping the stories we tell.