Guillermo Del Toro Named As Guest Artistic Director Of AFI Fest 2025 Presented By Canva

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Category: Entertainment News

Published on Monday, 25 August 2025 12:08

Written by AFI

Today, the American Film Institute (AFI) announced that Academy Award^®-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro will serve as the Guest Artistic Director for AFI FEST 2025 presented by Canva, which takes place October 22-26 in Hollywood.

"Guillermo del Toro is one of the great champions of the art form — a visionary filmmaker, a passionate cinephile, and a tireless advocate for bold, original storytelling," said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. "As Guest Artistic Director of AFI FEST, he brings a singular perspective that will inspire audiences of all generations."

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Previous Guest Artistic Directors for AFI FEST include Pedro Almodóvar, Bernardo Bertolucci, Ava DuVernay, Greta Gerwig, David Lynch and Agnès Varda.

FRANKENSTEIN, del Toro's definitive take on the Mary Shelly classic, will be released in select theaters on October 17 and Netflix November 7.

The festival will take place October 22–26 at the TCL Chinese Theatres in the heart of Hollywood and feature a curated selection of Red Carpet Premieres, Special Screenings, World Cinema, Documentaries and Short Films. 

As previously announced, the 39th edition of the Institute's annual film festival will open with SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE, starring Jeremy Allen White and written for the screen and directed by Scott Cooper. Passes to AFI FEST 2025 are now available for purchase online at FEST.AFI.com. Festivalgoers have the opportunity to purchase a Star Pass or upgrade to a Patron Pass.

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The AFI FEST Star Pass is a five-day pass with access to all screenings (excluding Red Carpet Premieres), early screening selection before individual tickets go on sale, priority theater access, entry to the festival lounge, invitation to the festival mixer to mingle with filmmakers and guests, a complimentary AFI FEST tote and free Rush Line access to all screenings. The AFI FEST Patron Pass features all the benefits of the Star Pass plus two tickets to all of the star-studded Red Carpet Premieres held at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre and priority screening selection before Star passholders.

The full festival lineup will be unveiled on September 30. Individual tickets will be available on October 6.

AFI FEST is recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a qualifying festival for the Live Action, Animated and Documentary Short Film categories for the annual Academy Awards®. AFI FEST is also a qualifying festival for consideration for the British Short Film categories of both the BAFTA Film Awards and the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).

AFI is a nonprofit, donor-powered organization. Join AFI's Premiere Circle to support the American Film Institute and enjoy access to exclusive one-of-a-kind opportunities at AFI events, including AFI FEST. To learn more, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Canva, the all-in-one visual communication and collaboration platform, returns as the exclusive Presenting Sponsor of AFI FEST 2025. Designed to empower entertainment professionals to visualize their ideas into impactful film and TV projects, Canva will be integrated throughout AFI FEST including hosting industry networking events, hands-on training workshops for filmmakers, and powering the festival's digital and printed materials. Entertainment professionals can explore resources to pitch projects, plan shoots, and bring creative visions to life at canva.com/entertainment. 

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About Guillermo del Toro

Mexican-born filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has created a distinctive cinematic style mixing the world of horror, fantasy, and his exuberant personal visual imagery. He studied under Oscar-winning special effects artist Dick Smith and made his first feature film, Cronos, in 1993, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Critics Prize. Since then, he has directed and produced numerous films in both the United States and internationally, including THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE (2001), PAN'S LABYRINTH (2006) which earned del Toro a Best Screenplay Oscar nomination and won the Academy Awards for Art Direction, Cinematography, and Makeup, Mimic (1997), HELLBOY (2004), PACIFIC RIM (2013), and CRIMSON PEAK (2015). Del Toro wrote and directed THE SHAPE OF WATER (2017), which was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and won four, including Best Picture and Best Director. In addition, the filmmaker garnered both the Golden Globe Award, and the BAFTA for best director. His first stop-motion feature, GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S PINOCCHIO (2022), which he directed alongside the late legend Mark Gustafson, won the Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Producers Guild Best Animated Film awards. Del Toro's work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales and horror, with an effort to infuse visual or poetic beauty into the grotesque. His upcoming Netflix live-action feature, FRANKENSTEIN, which stars Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, and more, will be released in the fall of 2025.

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About the American Film Institute (AFI)

The American Film Institute (AFI) is a nonprofit organization with a mandate to champion the moving image as an art form. Established in 1967, AFI launched the first comprehensive history of American film and sparked the movement for film preservation in the United States. In 1969, AFI opened the doors of the AFI Conservatory, a graduate-level program to train narrative filmmakers. The Conservatory, which counts Deniese Davis, Affonso Gonçalves, Susannah Grant, Matthew Libatique, David Lynch, Melina Matsoukas and Rachel Morrison as Alumni, is ranked as one of the top film schools in America. AFI's enduring traditions include the AFI Life Achievement Award, which honors the masters for work that has stood the test of time; AFI AWARDS, which celebrates the creative ensembles of the most outstanding screen stories of the year; and scholarly efforts such as the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and the AFI Archive that preserve film history for future generations. AFI exhibition programs include AFI FEST and year-round exhibition at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Maryland. AFI Movie Club is a destination for movie lovers from around the world to celebrate and engage with the art form every day. Other pioneering programs include workshops aimed at increasing diversity in the storytelling community, including AFI DWW+ and the AFI Cinematography Intensive Workshop. Read about all of these programs and more at AFI.com and

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About AFI FEST
Now in its 39th year, AFI FEST is a world-class event, showcasing the best films from across the globe. This year's edition takes place in Los Angeles from October 22-26, 2025. With an innovative slate of programming, the five-day festival presents screenings, panels and conversations, featuring both master filmmakers and new cinematic voices. AFI FEST includes high-profile films with Q&As featuring the films' cast and crew and a robust lineup of fiction and nonfiction features and shorts, providing a one-of-a-kind experience for movie fans. Additional information is available at FEST.AFI.com. 

Connect with AFI's film festival at Facebook.com/AFIFEST, Twitter.com/AFIFEST, 

Instagram/AmericanFilmInstitute, TikTok/@AmericanFilmInstitute and YouTube.com/AFI.

About Canva
Launched in 2013, Canva is the world's leading all-in-one platform for visual communication and collaboration. Built to empower everyone to design, the company serves the creative and design needs of enterprises, small businesses, consumers, and students in more than 190 countries worldwide. Whether you're a novice taking your first steps in design, or a creative professional seeking powerful tools, Canva ensures users have what they need to transform an idea into something beautiful. Underpinned by the world's most comprehensive library of designer-made content, Canva is powered by a suite of products and proprietary AI tools which elevate how individuals and teams create, collaborate, and communicate with ease.