Guillermo del Toro took home the Golden Globe for Best Director at Sunday night's ceremony for his film The Shape of Water. It was the director's first Golden Globes victory.

del Toro beat out famous directors Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, Martin McDonagh, and Ridley Scott for the Best Director Award. The Shape of Water stood out among the other nominated films including Nolan's Dunkirk, McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,  Spielberg's The Post and Scott's All The Money in the World.

This is the first Golden Globe victory for the horror and gothic enthusiast who has 10 feature films under his name including Crimson Peak (2015), Pacific Rim (2013), Hellboy (2004), and Pan's Labyrinth (2006), to name a few.

"Since childhood I've been faithful to monsters. I've been saved and absolved by them because monsters are the patron saints of our blissful imperfections," del Toro said in an emotional acceptance speech at the 75th annual awards show.

At one point, the orchestra tried to play him offstage during his acceptance speech. However, del Toro shushed the music away and asked for a minute so he can continue with his speech.

"For 25 years I have handcrafted very strange little tales, made of motion, color, life, and shadow. And in many of these instances — in three precise instances — these strange stories, these fables have saved my life," the Mexican filmmaker added, citing The Shape of Water and his other dark fantasy films Pan's Labyrinth and The Devil's Backbone.

It was a much-deserved victory for del Toro following positive reviews for The Shape of Water. The film is regarded as one of the best movies of 2017. Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a 93 percent rating for its absorbing and unique story. Several critics called the film one of del Toro's best work to date.

Aside from the Best Director award, The Shape of Water also scored seven total nominations at the Golden Globe. These include Best Screenplay, which del Toro co-wrote with Vanessa Taylor, Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Octavia Spencer), and Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Sally Hawkins). Alexandre Desplat took home the Golden Globe for Best Score for his work on the film.

The Shape of Water takes place in early 1960s Baltimore and follows the story of mute Elisa Esposito (Hawkins), a custodial worker at the Occam Aerospace Research Center. Elisa's mundane tasks take a drastic change when she befriends and eventually falls in love with a strange amphibious man housed inside the facility.

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