The American Film Institute said Monday that Guillermo del Toro has been selected as the guest artistic director for AFI Fest, the organization’s annual fest that this year will run October 22–26 at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood.
The news comes as del Toro preps his latest film, Frankenstein, which is having its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday. Netflix will release the film in select theaters October 17 before dropping it on the streamer 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,” AFI president and CEO Bob Gazzale said today in a press release announcing the appointment. “As Guest Artistic Director of AFI Fest, he brings a singular perspective that will inspire audiences of all generations.”
Del Toro joins a roster of guest ADs that includes Pedro Almodóvar, Bernardo Bertolucci, Ava DuVernay, Greta Gerwig, David Lynch and Agnès Varda.
This year’s AFI Fest will kick off October 22 with 20th Century Studios’ Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, the snapshot biopic of the rock icon starring Jeremy Allen White. It will be coming hot off its world premiere at the New York Film Festival on September 28, and just before its theatrical release October 24.
More fest gala screenings are TBA.
