Guillermo del Toro to head AFI Fest 2025 amid horror collection sale

Guillermo del Toro will serve as guest artistic director of AFI Fest 2025 and is simultaneously preparing to pare down a vast horror memorabilia collection after a near miss with this year’s Los Angeles wildfires, organizers and the director said Monday. The American Film Institute said del Toro, a three time Oscar winner, will guide the Los Angeles festival, set for Oct. 22 to Oct. 26 at the TCL Chinese Theatres, as he readies his adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein for release this fall.

Bob Gazzale, president and chief executive of the American Film Institute, called del Toro “one of the great champions of the art form, a visionary filmmaker, a passionate cinephile, and a tireless advocate for bold, original storytelling.” AFI said the 39th edition of its festival, presented by Canva, will feature red carpet premieres, special screenings, world cinema, documentaries and shorts. The festival will open Oct. 22 with Scott Cooper’s Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere, starring Jeremy Allen White; the film arrives in theaters during the festival on Oct. 24 through Searchlight. AFI plans to unveil its full lineup on Sept. 30, with individual tickets on sale Oct....