Overview
- Accepting Variety’s Directing Award at a Palm Springs International Film Festival brunch on Jan. 4, del Toro urged young filmmakers to reject claims that art is unimportant.
- He argued that saying a “f—ing app can do art” reflects an attempt to debase what makes people more human, calling such thinking a precursor to authoritarianism.
- The remarks extend a stance he has voiced for months, including telling NPR in October 2025 he would rather die than use generative AI and declaring “F**k AI” at the Gotham Awards.
- Del Toro framed his view within his longtime creative philosophy, saying the power of monsters helps explain a complicated world and defend human imagination.
- The event also recognized other honorees, while del Toro’s Netflix film Frankenstein — starring Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac and Mia Goth — continues to benefit from awards-season attention.