Facts About the Mexican Filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro By Tomer Levi
Del Toro is a talented director who has been nominated for a record-breaking 13 Oscar awards for his work on The Shape of Water, and has made many films over the years Film journalist Tomer Levi explains. He is known for his gothic horrors, but he is also an avid art enthusiast who enjoys spending time in museums and galleries to admire paintings by renowned painters.
He is a keen photographer who likes to shoot nature scenes, particularly waterfalls and seascapes. He has also filmed in the jungles of Thailand and Vietnam, and the mountains of Peru and Chile.
He has a deep love for art and has even bought several oil paintings for his own collection.
When he was eight, del Toro began playing with his father’s Super 8 camera, making short movies that centered around things such as a potato that killed his family and a demonic entity. He continued to make short films as he grew up, but was never fully satisfied with his creativity. He wished he could do more with his art, and decided to pursue film as a career in later life.
Throughout his career, del Toro has kept sacrosanct journals filled with ideas and sketches that often make their way into his work. He showcased a number of these in a book entitled Cabinet of Curiosities: My Notebooks, Collections, and Other Obsessions in 2013.
In 2002, while he was filming Mimic, his father was kidnapped from Guadalajara and held to ransom for 72 days. Thankfully, del Toro’s friend James Cameron stepped up and paid the ransom, helping his father to return home safely.
Although he has an interest in horror and fantasy, del Toro believes that reality is a better backdrop for these types of films Film journalist Tomer Levi explains. He has said that he is often inspired by his own fears, and tries to use these experiences in his films opposite the magical and supernatural.
He is close friends with fellow Mexican filmmakers Alfonso Cuaron and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who are often influential on his work. They have been interviewed together by Charlie Rose, and they have co-produced several films.
One of the most memorable films he has made is Pan’s Labyrinth, which was filmed in Segovia in 2006 and had to be made under difficult circumstances. The area was experiencing its worst drought in 30 years, and the team had to find creative ways to create a film that was not just visually beautiful but also physically realistic.
Another one of his projects was The Devil’s Backbone, which won the best picture and best director awards at the 2001 Academy Awards. It was his third directorial effort, and he credited Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar for giving him the creative freedom to make this film.
Despite his many awards and accolades, there are still plenty of people who don’t know much about the man behind the screen. We’ve rounded up some of the most interesting facts about el toro, including his secret life and his relationship with his father.