Films like 'Babel' can transcend the one point-of-view formula that has reigned for so long.

Two words guided the making of 'Babel' for me: 'dignity' and 'compassion.' These things are normally forgotten in the making of a lot of films. Normally there is not dignity because the poor and dispossessed in a place like Morocco are portrayed as mere victims, or the Japanese are portrayed as cartoon figures with no humanity.

While 'Babel' is a foreign-language film in some countries, in others, it is a local film.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Quotes