And the Oscar goes to...Del Toro and his monster

The first thing Guillermo del Toro does is double-check that the name of his film is written down in the envelope. Once he is certain the card reads “The Shape of Water” he smiles and reassures everyone that "The Shape of Water" has, indeed, won Best Picture at the 90th Academy Awards.

This precaution comes after last year's slip-up when “La La Land” was announced as the winner of the night when the actual winner had been, in fact, “Moonlight”.

The smile of this native of Jalisco is evident. It's the second time he is at Dolby Theater in Los Angeles – the first was with "Pan's Labyrinth". This time, the Mexican filmmaker took a minute and a half to talk about Mexico, his childhood, about being an immigrant, and the courage it takes to leave a legacy behind.

“To everyone that is dreaming of using the fantasy genre to tell the stories about the things that are real in the world today, you can do it. This is a door, kick it open and come in!” said Del Toro during his acceptance speech.

And the Oscar goes to...Del Toro and his monster

(Photo Courtesy of Valerie Durant/AMPAS/EFE)

“ The Shape of Water ” won 4 out of the 13 categories it was nominated for, including Best Original Score and Production Design.

Several Mexican and Latin American artists congratulated the director on social networks, including fellow director Alfonso Cuarón and Mexican actors Gael García Bernal , Diego Luna , and Edgar Vivar , who wrote the following on his Twitter account:

“We need more people like this Mexican from Jalisco, who reawakens the hope that not everything is negative in our country.”

Another one who congratulated the filmmaker was Miguél Bosé , who wrote:

“Congratulations Guillermo del Toro. Beauty! Pure beauty and magic! Bravo!”

In Mexico City, a group of people – youths in its majority – gathered at the Angel of the Independence to celebrate Del Toro's Oscar win.

With information of César Huerta and Erika Monroy

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