On Saturday, Guillermo del Toro revealed that his older brother, Federico del Toro Gómez, had died last week.
The “Pan’s Labyrinth” director shared the news while receiving the Visionary Award at the Palm Springs International Film Awards alongside Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi and Mia Goth — the stars of his latest project, “Frankenstein.”
“I’ve come to believe that everybody’s born with one or two songs to sing,” Del Toro told the crowd at the Palm Springs Convention Center. “That’s it, and we keep repeating them and repeating them until we get them sort of right. And Frankenstein was the song I was born to sing.”
Del Toro spoke of his brother when touching on his recent film’s themes of fatherhood, forgiving and being forgiven.
“Three days ago, I lost my older brother, but I’m here because the film speaks about a condition that is purely human, that is proved by the final phase in the film, which says the heart may break and the broken live on,” he said. “Even a broken heart pumps the blood and keeps you going.”
The 61-year-old filmmaker would go on to note that there were several occasions when he and his brother played out the dynamics of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature in their own lives, and that they “granted each other love and granted each other peace” many years ago.
Del Toro did not share any details regarding his brother’s death and said that he may take time off during awards season due to his family’s loss.
“I may be absent at a few functions this [awards] season, but not this one,” he said. “I’m here because [the cast and crew of ‘Frankenstein’] is family. Life gives you a family on the way.”
The governor of Del Toro’s home state of Jalisco, Pablo Lemus Navarro, shared a message on X about the elder Del Toro’s death.
“I send my condolences to the Jalisco filmmaker @RealGDT for the passing of his brother, Federico del Toro Gómez,” Lemus Navarro wrote. “To his family and loved ones, I hope that they soon find consolation. From the bottom of my heart, I’m sending a warm and strong hug. Rest in peace.”
The director’s alma mater, the University of Guadalajara, also paid their respects to Federico on X.
“We lament the passing of Federico del Toro Gómez, brother of Guillermo del Toro, the Tapatío filmmaker and alumnus of our academic institution,” the post read. “We extend our condolences to his family and friends. Rest in peace.”
Elsewhere in his speech, the Oscar-winning director spoke of the importance of believing in and making art in deeply political times.
“At a time when people tell you art is not important, that is always the prelude to fascism,” Del Toro said. “When they tell you it doesn’t matter, when they tell you a f— app can do art, if it’s that easy, that unimportant, why the f— do they want it so bad? The answer is because they think they can debase everything that makes us a little better, a little more human.”
Political realities were also front and center at the awards show during Leonardo DiCaprio’s acceptance speech for his performance in “One Battle After Another.”
The 51-year-old actor was forced to accept his award via Zoom call because he was unable to leave the Caribbean island St. Barts due to air restrictions in the area after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and amid the increasingly turbulent political situation in Venezuela.
“Leonardo DiCaprio is unable to join us in person tonight due to unexpected travel disruptions and restricted airspace,” a spokesperson for the Palm Springs International Film Festival told Variety. “While we will miss celebrating with him in person, we are honored to recognize his exceptional work and lasting contributions to cinema. His talent and dedication to the craft continue to inspire, and we are delighted to celebrate him with the Desert Palm Achievement Award this evening.”
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