Guillermo del Toro Honored with BFI Fellowship While Warning of AI Threats to Cinema

On a Monday evening in Hollywood, the British Film Institute (BFI) presented Guillermo del Toro with its highest honor, the BFI Fellowship, at the BFI America dinner. In his acceptance, del Toro praised the institute’s archival legacy while warning that artificial intelligence and industry consolidation threaten the public’s ability to read and appreciate images.

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Del Toro’s link to the BFI started in his teens in Guadalajara, when he wrote to the institute for 16 mm prints of British films. He later pledged to donate one-third of his papers to the BFI vault, which holds collections dating to 1935. The BFI’s Film on Film Festival, set for London in next June, highlights its preservation work.

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The evening gathered industry leaders including Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, BFI chief executive Ben Roberts, Netflix executive Bela Bajaria, Warner Bros. Pictures’ Pam Abdy, former Paramount chair Sherry Lansing, and filmmakers Jon Favreau, Bill Hader, Michael Mann and Leonardo DiCaprio. Sarandos introduced del Toro as a modern master of film.

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Del Toro pledged roughly one-third of his archival material to the BFI. The BFI’s national archive, one of the world’s largest collections, dates to 1935. The Film on Film Festival returns to London in next June.

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Del Toro warned that AI could usher in “image illiteracy” and “cinema illiteracy,” describing the technology as “natural stupidity.” He linked these threats to broader political polarization that endangers creative freedom. Using a bus-metaphor, he said the industry is near a cliff and must collectively steer right.

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BFI chief executive Ben Roberts said the institute’s cultural mandate includes shaping policy with government and industry to safeguard filmmaking conditions. Del Toro announced plans to teach classes on early Alfred Hitchcock works for the BFI, framing education as a bulwark against technological erosion. Sarandos, who introduced del Toro, praised his ability to create entire universes, underscoring Netflix’s support for auteur-driven projects.

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In his remarks, del Toro called AI a form of “natural stupidity” and warned that the current climate of political division threatens the sacred pact between humanity and image. He argued that without collective vigilance, audiences risk losing the ability to interpret visual storytelling.

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• “We are on the verge of image illiteracy. We are on the verge of cinema illiteracy,” — Guillermo del Toro, Filmmaker

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• “We are not gatekeepers. We are gate-holders so more people can come in and out of the church of cinema,” — Guillermo del Toro, Filmmaker

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• “I went into the meeting thinking, ‘Why is this master filmmaker steering what I thought was a cartoon for us?’” — Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-CEO

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• “We say our job is to ensure that the conditions are right for success in filmmaking.” — Ben Roberts, BFI CEO

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