Guillermo del Toro’s pivotal week: grief, resolve, and growing awards heat

TL;DR:

Del Toro revealed his brother’s death while accepting an honor in Palm Springs on 2026-01-04.
He urged filmmakers to resist generative AI and defend human-made art.
Jacob Elordi won a Critics Choice Award for “Frankenstein” on 2026-01-04.
“Frankenstein” continues strong after a Venice premiere and long ovation in 2025.
Del Toro said only 13 of his 42 scripts reached the screen, underscoring persistence.

What happened

On 2026-01-04 in Palm Springs, Guillermo del Toro accepted a Visionary honor and shared that his older brother, Federico del Toro Gómez, died days earlier. He framed the moment through the themes of “Frankenstein,” speaking about loss, forgiveness, and carrying on.

Hours later, his film’s momentum showed up on the awards circuit. At the 2026 Critics Choice Awards on 2026-01-04 in Santa Monica, Jacob Elordi won Best Supporting Actor for playing the Creature in del Toro’s “Frankenstein.” The win spotlights the film’s performances as the season gathers pace.

The run builds on the film’s high-profile bow at the Venice Film Festival in late August 2025, where it drew a lengthy standing ovation and fueled early awards talk.

Del Toro’s message on AI

At Palm Springs industry events surrounding the festival, del Toro warned young filmmakers against leaning on generative AI. He said belittling art is a prelude to authoritarian thinking, urging creators to be kind, involved, and steadfast in their craft. The call lands at a time when AI tools tempt studios with speed and cost savings.

Why this matters for readers

Studios and streamers are weighing AI across writing, design, and post. Del Toro’s stance gives artists and crews a clear signal to push for human-led production, and it adds weight to ongoing guild debates about credit and compensation linked to AI workflows.

Awards pulse: what’s rising

Elordi’s Critics Choice win is the first major trophy tied to an on-screen performance in “Frankenstein,” and it arrives with Golden Globes and guild events still ahead. Big-picture takeaway: acting branches are responding to the film’s human core, not just its craft.

The response tracks with the Venice premiere, where audiences embraced del Toro’s decades-long passion project. That early reception often correlates with year-end lists and critics’ awards, which help shape voting narratives through January and February.

The filmmaker’s long game

Del Toro told interviewers that only 13 of his 42 screenplays became movies. The statistic sums up his career reality: many projects stall, few make it to set, fewer still to release. For working artists, his ratio reads like a pep talk about patience, rewrites, and timing.

Context for new readers

“Frankenstein,” written and directed by del Toro, stars Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the Creature, with Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz in key roles. Netflix backs the film and platformed its festival rollout and awards push after Venice.

Del Toro is known for intimate monster stories that wrestle with love, guilt, and belonging. “The Shape of Water” won Best Picture in 2018, and his stop-motion “Pinocchio” won the Animated Feature Oscar in 2023. “Frankenstein” continues his focus on outsider characters, with a design-forward style and practical effects that foreground empathy over spectacle.

What’s next

Awards calendar: Globe winners on 2026-01-11 will reset some races and spotlight acting ensembles. Keep an eye on BAFTA and guild nominations to gauge below-the-line strength for “Frankenstein.”
Conversation: Expect more craft talks from del Toro’s team on production design, makeup, and score, which can sway voters in technical categories.
Cultural thread: Del Toro’s AI remarks will echo through winter panels and filmmaker Q&As, shaping how schools and labs frame “assistive” tools in curriculum.

Quick reference: del Toro’s week at a glance

Date	Event	Key takeaway
2026-01-04	Palm Springs honor	Publicly mourned brother, reaffirmed themes of empathy and endurance.
2026-01-04	Critics Choice Awards	Jacob Elordi won Supporting Actor for “Frankenstein.”
2026-01-05	Public remarks on AI	Urged filmmakers to resist generative AI shortcuts.
2025-08-30	Venice premiere	Lengthy ovation set early awards narrative.

Why it matters

This week showed how del Toro balances personal loss, artistic leadership, and a big campaign push. For fans, it means “Frankenstein” stays central in awards talk. For filmmakers, his AI warning is a rallying cry to keep the process human, even as tools change.