Netflix has officially secured another high-profile Oscar contender after Jane Campion‘s fantastic western “The Power of The Dog” landed the filmmaker a Best Director prize at the Academy Awards earlier this year. The streamer has announced they’ve bought the next feature film from Oscar-winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, which is titled “BARDO, False Chronicle of A Handful of Truths.”
The so-called “nostalgic comedy” stars Daniel Giménez Cacho (Lucrecia Martel‘s “Zama“)and Griselda Sicilian with striking 65mm cinematography from Academy Award-nominee Darius Khondji (“Se7en“), production design by the Oscar-winning Mexican designer Eugenio Caballero (“ROMA,” “Pan’s Labyrinth“) and costume design by Anna Terrazas (“The Deuce,” “ROMA”).
They included the following synopsis for ‘BARDO’:
BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths is 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.
The new pic was shot in Mexico City. It will enjoy a theatrical release on a global scale later this year in Mexico, the US, Canada, UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Japan, and Korea, among many more before debuting on the streaming service.
“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.”
Iñárritu previously won the Best Picture, Directing and Writing Academy Awards for 2014’s “Birdman” and a second Directing Oscar one year later for his revenge film “The Revenant,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and leading to his Best Actor win. It’s assumed that “BARDO” could lead to more Oscar statues for the director and Netflix.
When will ‘Bardo’ be released? Well, Netflix says end of the year, but if their recent major Oscar contender patterns are any indication—”The Power of The Dog” and Alfonso Cuarón‘s “Roma“— we could be in a similar scenario where ‘Bardo’ premieres at the Venice Film Festival in September (a festival the streamer has a good relationship with) and then premieres in theaters in late November before debuting on Netflix in December. That’s been their recent m.o. with similar awards players, so expect a similar approach.