Academy Award winners Guillermo del Toro and Aaron Sorkin have an appointment with the American Film Institute.
Hollywood veterans were selected to receive an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree during the AFI Conservatory’s graduation ceremony at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theater on August 7. The event honors the conservatory’s graduating class of 2026.
With brilliance, they join a list of honorary degree recipients from the American Film Institute that includes Robert Altman, Maya Angelou, Saul Bass, Angela Bassett, Kathryn Bigelow, Mel Brooks, Carol Burnett, Anne V. Coates, Jamie Lee Curtis, Viola Davis, Clint Eastwood, Roger Ebert, Nora Ephron, Jodie Foster, Leslie Linka Glatter, James Earl Jones, Lawrence Kasdan, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Kathleen Kennedy, and Angela Lansbury, Spike Lee, David Lynch, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Quentin Tarantino, Lily Tomlin, Robert Towne, Cicely Tyson, Haskell Wexler, John Williams, and Michelle Yeoh.
“Guillermo del Toro and Aaron Sorkin are unparalleled, prolific creative forces at a time when the world needs them most,” said Bob Gasall, AFI President and CEO. “From the expansive nature of the dreams to the insightful line of dialogue, their contributions to this art form have inspired audiences around the world – as they will inspire this year’s AFI graduates.”
Del Toro will receive his honorary degree following the recent release of his epic Frankenstein On Netflix. After his first appearance chronos, He continued to produce films such as Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, Pinocchio, Nightmare Alley, Scarlet Peak, Pacific Rim, Hellboy, Blade II and The devil’s backboneamong other things.
Sorkin comes to honors ahead of his new film, Social accountstarring Mickey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Bill Burr, and Jeremy Strong, is scheduled to premiere on October 9. The acclaimed screenwriter, director, and producer made his Broadway debut with A few good menWhich earned him the John Gassner Award for Outstanding New American Playwright. His other theatrical works include Farnsworth’s invention,adaptation To Kill a Mockingbird and a new book produced by Bartlett Sher’s Lincoln Center production Camelot.
His other film and television credits include film adaptation A Few Good Men, The American President, Charlie Wilson’s War, The West Wing, Sports Night, The Newsroom, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Social Network, Moneyball, Steve Jobs, Molly’s Game, Trial of the Chicago 7 and Being Ricardos.
