50th TIFF: Exhibition opening: An anatomy of fantasies: the secrets of Guillermo del Toro


EXHIBITION OPENING: “AN ANATOMY OF FANTASIES: THE SECRETS OF GUILLERMO DEL TORO”

The unique universe and temperament of Guillermo Del Toro’s cinema is the subject of the widescreen electronic exhibition “Anatomy of fantasies: The secrets of Guillermo Del Toro”, which opened on Wednesday, November 18, at the Bezesteni Market in the framework of TIFF. Present at the event were TIFF president George Corraface, TIFF director Despina Mouzaki, as well as distinguished art director and production designer Eugenio Caballero, who has collaborated with Del Toro in the film Pan’s Labyrinth and is an official guest at the Festival’s jubilee.

In his short speech, Eugenio Caballero underlined the influence of Catholicism on Del Toro’s work. It was a source of oppression for the director, which led him however to seek refuge in the Seventh Art. Furthermore, he noted how important his collaboration with Del Toro was in Pan’s Labyrinth, adding that his primary duty as art director and production designer was to find the film’s “colour” and mood.

The exhibition’s curator Marion Inglessi described the magic process of development from a sketch to the end product, i.e. the motion picture. She added that this work is carried out behind the scenes and demands a great number of collaborators, as well as a lot of effort and creativity.

The exhibition, which is organised by production company Pasozebra, was presented for the first time at the Guadalajara Film Festival. In electronic form, it is the most definitive presentation of the visual material used in the pre-production stages of Del Toro’s films. The exhibition reveals in chronological order the entire productive process which lies behind the creation of characters, objects, spaces and special effects.