Guillermo del Toro debuts ‘Frankenstein’ at São Paulo Film Festival

Guillermo del Toro’s epic Frankenstein arrived at Brazil’s São Paulo International Film Festival, as Netflix picked it among four highly anticipated titles to debut at the fest.

Other movies screened at the festival include Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, Shih-Ching Tsou’s Left-Handed Girl, and Daniel Rezende’s The Son of a Thousand Men, starring Rodrigo Santoro.

“This is our strongest participation since we started our partnership with Mostra,” said Elisabetta Zenatti, VP of content for Brazil.

Reflecting on the Mostra, where Frankenstein was screened during its Brazilian premiere, the director recognised the energy of the festival.

“The festival has this crazy, bold energy, embracing both the big names and emerging voices,” del Toro said. “It is a space that celebrates cinema in its full breadth and that resonates deeply with Frankenstein, which is a story about reclaiming your identity – your ‘otherness.’ It is a very meaningful stage, and I look forward to seeing how this film about fathers and sons connects with Brazilians.”

Del Toro also recognised Brazilian cinema as “constantly rebirthing itself.”

He recognised the dynamic change fostered by generation after generation of filmmakers. Del Toro noted that, as of now, the Brazilian film industry “is finding new voices, new ways of engaging with the world without losing its unique cultural roots, and this is being increasingly recognized all over the world.”

“I feel Brazil is regaining a role – it’s becoming a protagonist again in the global cinema conversation. Brazilian film is, and has always been, diverse, political, poetic, and profoundly human,” del Toro added.

Netflix will release Frankenstein in theatres on November 7.

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