Guillermo del Toro to teach master classes on Hitchcock this May in Toronto

While the Toronto International Film Festival proper won’t happen until September, that doesn’t stop the organization itself from running wonderful programming year-round.  And there is a new piece of programming that has been announced for this spring which sounds so awesome that I find myself genuinely sad that I can’t be there.

“Monster master Guillermo del Toro will lead a four-night master class on the films of Alfred Hitchcock in Toronto.  Organizers say del Toro’s classes will include a one-hour introduction and one-hour post-screening lecture for each film.  They include Frenzy, Shadow of a Doubt, North by Northwest and Notorious. The classes are slated to run May 7, 8, 15 and 16.”

Guillermo del Toro is one of those people who, like Martin Scorsese, knows a great deal about both the craft of filmmaking and its evolution through the years.  He knows well what made the masters tick and their work so affective.  So you can (and should) buy tickets for the fantastic opportunity that is this event right here – they run about $25, which to my mind would be well worth it indeed, and commence at 7:00 pm.  Oh, and don’t forget that del Toro’s own PACIFIC RIM hits theaters July 12th, 2013.

This too might be worth checking out if you’re already in Toronto and all:

“[del Toro’s Master Classes are] part of TIFF Bell Lightbox’s upcoming spring program, which will also feature a two-night performance from Crispin Glover… Glover is slated to offer a dramatic narration of eight of his illustrated books while images from the books are projected behind him. Those performances take place April 14 and 15, and will be followed by a film screening, Q&A session and book signing.”  Tickets for this event can be purchased right here.

So anyone out there in Toronto planning on going to any of these events? Because if so, you should definitely and absolutely come back and share all that you’ve seen.