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Guillermo Del Toro Wins Best Director Oscar For The Shape Of Water

By Julia Bianco

Guillermo del Toro has taken home his first Oscar. The legendary director won the trophy for Best Director at the Academy Awards on Sunday night, beating out Paul Thomas Anderson (Phantom Thread), Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird), Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk), and Jordan Peele (Get Out). Del Toro was previously nominated for Best Original Screenplay for Pan's Labyrinth.

The Shape of Water stars Sally Hawkins as Elisa Esposito, a maid at a secret government facility whose life is changed when she discovers a secret experiment (Doug Jones) being held in the lab. The pair fall in love and together try to escape the clutches of the villainous Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon). The movie was beloved by critics with a 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and made $126.4 million at the worldwide box office, including $57.3 million domestic. (via Box Office Mojo)

The Shape of Water holds the most Oscar nominations this year at 13. Among its other big nominations are Best Actress in a Leading Role for Hawkins, Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Richard Jenkins, and Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Octavia Spencer. The film also took home the trophy for Best Picture, Best Production Design for Paul D. Austerberry, Shane Vieau, and Jeffrey A. Melvin, and Best Original Score for its composer Alexandre Desplat.

Michael Stuhlbarg, Nick Searcy, and David Hewlett also starred in The Shape of Water, which was directed by del Toro based on a script he co-wrote with Vanessa Taylor.

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