The Cinema Audio Society recognizes Guillermo del Toro

The Cinema Audio Society recognizes the Oscar-winning filmmaker, Guillermo del Toro, with his highest distinction that he will present at the 62nd edition of the CAS Awards, which will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2026.

The president of the CAS, Peter Kurland, highlights that "the CAS Filmmaker Award recognizes directors who understand the fundamental role that sound plays in film and television, and Guillermo embodies that recognition at the highest level. His films are characterized not only by their stunning images and deeply human themes, but also by their masterful use of sound to create atmosphere, suspense and wonder. Guillermo's collaboration with sound artists has elevated every story he has told. We are delighted to celebrate his contributions to this art form."

“Audiovisual entertainment, telling stories with images and sound, requires very careful composition and very demanding standards to offer a memorable experience in every theater and home,” said del Toro. “It is an honor to receive recognition from those whom I consider and value as my admired peers and colleagues.”

Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has created a distinctive cinematic style that combines horror, fantasy, and his exuberant personal visual imagery. He studied with Oscar-winning special effects artist Dick Smith and made his first feature film, Chronos (1993), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Critics' Prize. They followed this Mimic (1997), The devil's backbone (2001) y Pan's Labyrinth (2006), which earned him an Oscar nomination for best screenplay and won three Academy Awards for art direction, cinematography and makeup.

Del Toro continued to direct and produce internationally acclaimed works, such as Hellboy (2004), Pacific Rim (2013) y Crimson Peak (2015). Your movie The shape of water (2017) received 13 Oscar nominations and won four, including best film and best director, as well as the Golden Globe and BAFTA awards for best director. His first stop-motion feature film, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022), co-directed with the late Mark Gustafson, received the Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Producers Guild Award for Best Animated Feature.

His next live-action feature film for Netflix, Frankenstein, starring Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi and Mia Goth, will be released on October 17, 2025.

In all of his films, del Toro's commitment to his craft extends to his collaborations with sound designers and mixers. Whether it is the delicate creaking of wooden puppets in Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio or the colossal roar of the kaiju in Pacific Rim, del Toro constantly demonstrates how sound can be a narrative force.

Del Toro joins a prestigious group of past CAS award-winning filmmakers with this award, including Denis Villeneuve, George Clooney, Steven Spielberg, Joe Wright, Jon Favreau, Taylor Hackford, Jonathan Demme, Richard Donner, Rob Marshall, Edward Zwick and Quentin Tarantino.