The American Film Institute (AFI) conferred Doctorates of Fine Arts degrees, 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 during the AFI Conservatory’s Class of 2026 commencement ceremony on Friday (8/7) at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Del Toro was introduced on stage by Academy Award®-winning actress and producer Octavia Spencer and Sorkin was introduced by Emmy®-winning actor and producer Bradley Whitford. The commencement celebrated the AFI Fellows’ completion of two years of concentrated study in AFI’s MFA program. The 128 graduating filmmakers specialized in one of six disciplines--Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design or Screenwriting--and collectively created 141 short films, roughly the equivalent of 19 feature films during their two years at AFI. The class comprises 52% female filmmakers, 37% domestic Fellows of color and 44% international filmmakers.

Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO, opened the ceremony by welcoming the graduating Fellows and their friends and families.

In accepting his AFI Honorary Degree, del Toro remarked, “Tell stories that matter to you. But more importantly, tell the stories that do not matter to anyone else. Those are the stories that need you. Those are the stories that would not exist if it wasn’t for you.”

Sorkin, in accepting his AFI Honorary Degree, shared with the graduating class, “Develop your own compass and trust it and, remember, the first person through a wall always gets hurt. Remember that you’re a citizen of this world and that... Read More