Guillermo del Toro shared an emphatic message about artificial intelligence in filmmaking while accepting the Vanguard Tribute for "Frankenstein" at Monday night's Gotham Awards: "Fuck AI."
Flanked by stars Jacob Elordi and Oscar Isaac, de Toro opened his acceptance speech by paying homage to Mary Shelley's immortal horror story. Del Toro said when he first picked up the book at age 11, he knew he would one day adapt it to film.
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"I understood that back then, through her work and the first glimpse of Boris Karloff, that I did not belong in the world the way my parents, the way the world expected me to fit," de Toro said. "That my place was in a faraway land inhabited only by monsters and misfits. They have been my kin ever since."
He continued, "So to return to this tale now at 61 with artists as extraordinary as Oscar and Jacob has been truly one of the greatest privileges of my life, and in them, I found another family."
After brief remarks from Elordi and Isaac, del Toro returned to the podium to honor the artisans who handcrafted the world of "Frankenstein" and to denounce AI in Hollywood.
"I'd like to tell the rest of our extraordinary cast and our crew that the artistry of all of them shines on every single frame of this film that was willfully made by humans, for humans," del Toro added. "The designers, builders, make-up, wardrobe team, cinematographers, composers, editors, this tribute belongs to all of them. I would like to extend our gratitude and say: Fuck AI."
Del Toro's "Frankenstein" premiered in August at the Venice Film Festival, where it received a rapturous13-minute standing ovation. The film premiered on Netflix on Oct. 17. Come Oscar time, "Frankenstein" is expected tocompete in nine categories,including best picture, best supporting actor for Elordi, best adapted screenplay and best production design.
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