The Visual Effects Society has announced it will honor Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro with its VES Award for Creative Excellence in recognition of his valuable contributions to filmed entertainment. The award will be presented at the 20th Annual VES Awards on March 8 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
The VES Award for Creative Excellence, bestowed by the VES Board of Directors, recognizes individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to the art and science of the visual effects industry by uniquely and consistently creating compelling and creative imagery in service to story.
The VES will honor del Toro for his consummate artistry and expansive storytelling that blends iconic visual effects and unforgettable narratives. As a director, del Toro has certainly created a distinctive cinematic style that draws from monster movies and comic books alike, resulting in stunning visuals straight from the maestro’s macabre imagination.
“Guillermo is a fiercely inventive storyteller, who has pushed the boundaries of filmmaking,” said VES Board Chair Lisa Cooke. “An exemplary talent, he has consistently elevated not just the technical aspect of visual effects, but also the emotional. Guillermo is an amazing creative force and a defining voice in our global community, and his body of work is a rich source of inspiration for future generations of artists and innovators.”
Del Toro won the Academy Award for both Best Picture and Best Director for the fantastical romance The Shape of Water, which also won Oscars for production design and original score. Last year, del Toro reunited with Searchlight Pictures on Nightmare Alley, which is currently up for four Oscars, including Best Picture. Del Toro’s foreign-language film Pan’s Labyrinth was also nominated for six Oscars, winning for art direction, cinematography and makeup.
Del Toro is also a prolific producer whose credits include The Orphanage, Biutiful, Puss in Boots and Mama, and his upcoming projects include a stop-motion adaptation of Pinocchio as well as the Netflix anthology series Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities.
Del Toro studied makeup effects with legendary artist Dick Smith and spent 10 years as a special-effects makeup designer before forming his own company, Necropia. He also co-founded the Guadalajara International Film Festival. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019.
Previous recipients of the VES Award for Creative Excellence include award-winning artists such as David Benioff and D.B. Weiss of Game of Thrones fame and Visual Effects Supervisor and Director of Photography Robert Legato, ASC, as well as acclaimed Visual Effects Supervisor Sheena Duggal.
