VENICE, Italy (AP) – Guillermo del Toro won the Venice Film Festival’s top Golden Lion prize on Saturday for his monster thriller “The Shape of Water.”
The Mexican director said he hoped his victory would inspire young directors to “have faith in whatever you have faith in.”
“In my case, it’s monsters,” said the 52-year-old director, whose films include “Hellboy” and “Pan’s Labyrinth.”
The victory gives “The Shape of Water” a boost heading in to Hollywood’s awards season.
The film is about a mute young woman, played by Sally Hawkins, who falls for a mysterious sea creature being held at a high-security lab. Many viewers in Venice fell for the movie’s audacious mix of genres: It’s a monster movie, a Cold War thriller and even, at times, a musical.