Babel team break-up

The Mexican writing-directing team behind the Oscar-nominated film Babel has broken up after each accused the other of trying to steal the spotlight.

Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and writer Guillermo Arriaga have gained worldwide success with three movies, Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel.

Criticising

But now it seems the show is over: Gonzalez Inarritu and other Babel cast members, including Mexican actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Adriana Barraza and Argentine composer Gustavo Santaolalla, signed a letter criticising Arriaga for "claiming media attention".

"It's a shame that in your unjustified obsession to claim sole responsibility for the film, you seem not to recognise that movies are an art of deep collaboration," said the letter, published in the latest edition of Mexico's Chilango magazine.

Defend

Arriaga shot back at Gonzalez Inarritu in a radio interview, saying the director stole credit for Babel by listing himself in the credits as the movie's main creator. "I tried to defend the collective nature of the film," he said.

"It belongs to everyone." Both Gonzalez Inarritu and Arriaga were nominated for Oscars for Babel, which was also up for best picture.

Santaolalla was the only member of the cast to win on Sunday, taking home his second straight Oscar for best original score.

Inarritu and Arriaga have been a team for almost a decade and gained international acclaim for Amores Perros and 21 Grams, both of which are built around a car accident that connects three groups of people.

Differences

Arriaga announced last fall that he would no longer work with the director because of creative and personal differences. The writer has complained that Gonzalez Inarritu changed several aspects of the original screenplay for Babel.

In Monday's letter, Gonzalez Inarritu broke off ties with Arriaga, wishing him "luck in your future movies." Arriaga is working on a new project that will star Mexican actor Diego Luna.