Academy Award winner Guillermo Del Toro has been named the guest artistic director of the 2025 AFI Fest, which is set to take place in late October.
Del Toro’s addition to the annual Hollywood film festival comes as he is set to release his adaptation of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” in select theaters on October 17 and on Netflix on November 7.
“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.”
Previous guest directors for AFI Fest include Pedro Almodóvar, Bernardo Bertolucci, Ava DuVernay, Greta Gerwig, David Lynch and Agnès Varda.
Del Toro is a three-time Oscar winner, receiving the Best Picture and Best Director awards for his 2017 dark fantasy romance “The Shape of Water” and Best Animated Feature for his 2022 stop-motion animated adaptation of “Pinocchio.”
His upcoming adaptation of “Frankenstein” will star Oscar Isaac as Dr. Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the egotistical scientist’s tragic monster. Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz also star in the film.
This year’s AFI Fest runs from Oct. 22-26 and will open with Scott Cooper’s Bruce Springsteen biopic “Deliver Me From Nowhere” starring Jeremy Allen White as the rock legend. Searchlight will release the film in theaters during the festival on Oct. 24.
The full festival lineup will be unveiled on Sept. 30, with individual tickets going on sale on Oct. 6. Festival passes are now on sale on the AFI website.
