Los Angeles, Jan 5 The Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has a piece of advice for the aspiring filmmakers. The director attended the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and told the up-and-coming filmmakers to never listen when “people tell you art is not important,” because that is “always a prelude to fascism”.
The director accepted the directing honor at 10 Directors to Watch and Creative Impact Awards brunch during the film festival, reports ‘Variety’.
He said, “Be kind, be involved, believe in your art. At a time when people tell you art is not important, that is always the prelude to fascism. When they tell you it doesn’t matter, when they tell you a fucking app can do art you say, if it’s that important, why the fuck do they want it so bad? The answer is because they think they can debase everything that makes us a little better, a little more human. And that, in my book, and in my life, includes monsters”.
Elsewhere in his speech, he spoke about the “religious experience” of watching James Whale’s 1931 ‘Frankenstein’ for the first time
As per ‘Variety’, Sara Karloff, the daughter of the original ‘Frankenstein’ star Boris Karloff, was his guest at the event.
He further mentioned, “Sometimes the world gets so complicated, you can only explain it with the power of monsters. We are in a time like that right now. It’s not just the size of the screens, it’s the size of the idea. Ambition includes failure, it’s right next door to success. There are no numbers on the door. You’re going to knock on that door, and it’s going to open, and it’s either a supermodel of your dreams or your mom in curlers”.
‘Frankenstein’ was released on Netflix on October 17, 2025.
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