TORONTO – Guillermo del Toro slipped into the Criterion Closet at the Toronto International Film Festival and some wondered if he might ever come back out.
The Oscar-winning “Shape of Water” director popped by the viral TIFF hot spot, which affords movie lovers three minutes to make their own social media moment by picking from thousands of DVD and Blu-ray titles in the curated Criterion Collection.
He spent nearly 15 minutes inside the truck, leaving Criterion staff to knock on the door telling him his time was up.
The obsessive cinephile emerged with a stack of 10 films. Most of their titles were hidden, though Alfonso Cuarón’s 2018 drama “Roma” was visible in the pile.
Del Toro is at TIFF to promote his upcoming Netflix film “Frankenstein.”
“I stole a few,” he said on his way out.
His visit to the Criterion Closet was to participate in an upcoming video for the film company’s popular YouTube series, which sees directors, actors and musicians pull their favourite films off the shelves and explain what they mean to them.
Del Toro is credited as the first person to ever appear in the Criterion Closet 15 years ago. He had been invited to the company’s Manhattan offices to talk movies, and was offered a chance to pick a few DVDs on his way out. His commentary on video helped spark the idea to make it into an ongoing series.
Since then, the Criterion Closet has welcomed countless stars, including Canadians Pamela Anderson, David Cronenberg and Seth Rogen. Its popularity inspired a mobile truck that roams film festivals, its first-ever Canadian stop being at TIFF.
A few other notable names swung by over the weekend to make their picks, including actor Ethan Hawke and director Richard Linklater.
There were also hundreds of film buffs who lined up for hours this weekend to have their moment inside the Criterion Closet.
Groups of up to five people were permitted inside to record three-minute videos about the Criterion movies that shaped them. They could then purchase those titles on the spot with a 40 per cent discount.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 7, 2025.
