‘Shape’ festival sensation
Del Toro loves monsters
TORONTO, Sept 14, (AP): If the Toronto International Film Festival has proven one thing, it’s that Guillermo del Toro can work a room.
At the premiere of his festival sensation and surefire Oscar contender “The Shape of Water”, the goodhumored Mexican director had the audience of the Elgin Theatre in his thrall, both by the magic of his monster romance and by his self-deprecating sincerity discussing the film’s political relevance (proclamations to “make America great again”, he said, were a “false memory” of the segregated early ’60s in which his film is set) as well as his own fondness for his adopted home of Toronto.
“I identify with Canada”, said Del Toro, whose kind, mischievous eyes are framed by the small circles of his glasses and his roly-poly physique. “I identify with Canadian bacon”.
“The Shape of Water”, which Fox Searchlight will release Dec 8, has been an undeniable breakout on the festival circuit, where it took the top prize at the Venice Film Festival over the weekend.
The film, which stars Sally Hawkins as a mute woman who falls for a captured sea monster, is a loving tribute to outsiders of all kinds — a message that has been received by festival audiences as a relevant one. After flying back to
career as an advertising copywriter and photographer in New York. In the ’60s, he began shooting album covers for the likes of Woody Allen and Cass Elliot at the Bitter End, New York’s oldest rock club. Gittes also photographed then-up-and-comers including Nicholson, Elliott Gould,
Hart
Vincent
Toronto, award in tow, Del Toro sat down to discuss his abiding affections for monsters, movies and water.
AP: Why do you think your film is resonating as it is?
Del Toro: For the last few years — and I don’t think it started two years ago — we’ve seen the world going in the wrong swing of the pendulum. It causes such despair and the heart of the movie is so utterly sincere that sometimes the most shocking thing in this world is sincerity. There is something that kind of touches you. It’s like when you meet someone who just exists, who’s very real and just present. The movie is very present, and it wears its heart on its sleeve in the sense that it’s unapologetically not a regular movie.
AP: How did you fall in love with monsters?
Del Toro: It happened when I was a young kid. Every Sunday in my hometown, channel six would show a marathon of monster movies. So I saw “It Conquered the World”, “The Bride of Frankenstein”, “Creature of the Black Lagoon”, “The Incredible Shrinking Man”, “The Monolith Monsters”. I would watch “The Raven”, “The Black Cat”, “Body Snatchers”. It was every Sunday. I would go to church and I would see these monsters. They became almost an iconography.
and
Liza Minnelli. (RTRS)
LOS ANGELES:
The star-studded “Hand in Hand” hurricane-relief benefit raised more than $44 million for the victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma Tuesday night, according to ABC News. A total of $14 million was raised during the hour-long live show, with $30 million donated in the hours that followed.
The telethon, which aired live from New York, Los Angeles and Nashville on multiple networks, was produced by SB Projects (Justin Bieber/Ariana Grande management team Scooter Braun and Alison Kaye) and Den of Thieves (Jesse Ignjatovic and Evan Prager), along with veteran Houston rapper Bernard “Bun B” Freeman. (RTRS)