Guillermo del Toro Slams Oscars Revamp

Nightmare Alley Oscar nominee Guillermo del Toro has a bone to pick with the Film Academy, which recently made the decision to pre-tape eight categories for the 94th Academy Awards, including Best Production Design, Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Sound, Documentary Short, Animated Short and Live-Action Short.

The two-time Oscar winner made his feelings known last night while accepting the Hollywood Critics Association’s Filmmaking Achievement Award, opining that if there was ever a year for such a change to be made, this wasn’t it.

“The nominees that we have here, most of the ones we have here tonight, [worked] against many, many difficult odds [to get here], and we don’t do [films] alone,” he said, after his frequent collaborator Doug Jones presented him with the award. “We do them together, and the people that made them with us did it risking everything in a pandemic, showing up, making the day, somewhat in a miracle.

“I must say, if any year was the year to think about it, this is not the year not to hear their names live at the Oscars. This is the year to sing it, and sing it loud,” Del Toro continued. “We shouldn’t do it this year; we shouldn’t do it ever, but not this year…And we must say this…2021 was a f**king great year for movies.”

At the Oscars, taking place at the Dolby Theatre on March 27, Nightmare Alley will contend for Best Picture, Cinematography, Production Design and Costume Design. Academy President David Rubin announced the decision to revamp this year’s ceremony, with eight pre-taped categories edited into the final show, on February 22 and saw it meet instant backlash from groups including the American Cinema Editors and the Set Decorators of America.

Del Toro’s speech at the fifth annual HCA Film Awards can be viewed in full above.