The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) will honor Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water) at its upcoming Film Benefit on December 8, 2022.
“Guillermo del Toro has been a treasured member of the MoMA family for the last 30 years,” Rajendra Roy, MoMA’s chief curator of film, said in a recent statement. “We can’t wait to honor the man who loves cinema with his whole heart in front of the museum’s adoring film community.”
According to MoMA’s annual Film Benefit has been sponsored by the fashion company Chanel since 2011. Chanel has served as the lead sponsor of film at the museum since last year. The MoMA’s Department of Film was founded in 1935. It houses more than 30,000 films and 1.5 million film stills.
The Film Benefit will coincide with the opening of del Toro’s exhibition on his upcoming stop-motion animated film, Pinocchio. Guillermo del Toro: Crafting Pinocchio will run at MoMA from December 11, 2022, to April 16, 2023. The exhibition will include production art, props, and a glimpse at the intricate puppet-making process. It will also include working sets from the film, motion tests, and time-lapse video installations.
“No art form has influenced my life and my work more than animation and no single character in history has had as deep of a personal connection to me as Pinocchio,” Guillermo del Toro said.
In the past, MoMA has honored a host of Hollywood talent during its Film Benefit, including Alfonso Cuarón (Roma), Penélope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Pedro Almodóvar (Talk to Her), George Clooney (Up in the Air), Tom Hanks (Philadelphia), and Cate Blanchett (The Aviator), among others.