The American Film Institute (AFI) announced it will confer a Doctorate of Fine Arts degree honoris causa for contributions of distinction to the art of the moving image upon Academy Award® and Emmy®-winning screenwriter, director and producer Guillermo del Toro and Academy Award® and Emmy®-winning screenwriter and director Aaron Sorkin. Del Toro and Sorkin will be recognized during the AFI Conservatory’s commencement ceremony celebrating the Class of 2026 on Friday, August 7, 2026, at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
“Guillermo del Toro and Aaron Sorkin are peerless, prolific creative forces at a time the world needs them most,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “From the vast nature of dreams to an incisive line of dialogue, their contributions to the art form have inspired audiences around the world – as they will inspire this year’s graduates of the AFI Conservatory.”
Del Toro and Sorkin join a distinguished group of past AFI Honorary Degree recipients, including 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, Lesli Linka Glatter, James Earl Jones, Lawrence Kasdan, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Kathleen Kennedy, 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.
