Director Guillermo del Toro is returning to his native Mexico to present his gothic horror flick Crimson Peak.
Set to open the 13th edition of the Morelia International Film Festival on Oct. 23, organizers on Wednesday said the festival will feature a special section of Mexican gothic horror movies in del Toro’s honor, which includes his first feature, Cronos.
For three straight years, Morelia has opened with a Hollywood picture from a high-profile Mexican crossover director. The past two editions, Morelia opened with Oscar winners Gravity and Birdman, from del Toro’s buddies Alfonso Cuaron and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, respectively.
Now, it’s del Toro’s turn to wow Mexican audiences with his new haunted house story, but his visit is bittersweet. Just last week, del Toro told the Mexican daily Excelsior that his wife’s cousin has been missing for more than a month and nobody knows anything about what happened to him. This, after Del Toro was forced to leave Mexico in 1998 following his father getting kidnapped and eventually released
Earlier this year, the filmmaker said he wants to return to his homeland to shoot a Mexican film called Plata, but he hasn’t done so because he fears for his safety.
Other guests slated to attend Morelia include Peter Greenaway, who will present his Mexico-lensed biopic Eisenstein in Guanajuato; Oscar-nominated director Mark Osborne, who is visiting with his latest animated picture The Little Prince; Still Alice helmer Wash Westmoreland; and Barfly filmmaker Barbet Schroeder.
Morelia closes on Nov. 1 with Sufragette, a feminist history story starring Carey Mulligan.
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