Guillermo del Toro has said it was “a youth dream come true” to be honoured with the British Film Institute’s most prestigious accolade, a BFI Fellowship.
The Mexican filmmaker, 61, has been recognised with the highest honour bestowed by the BFI for a body of work that includes Oscar-winning films The Shape Of Water, Pinocchio and Pan’s Labyrinth, as well as Hellboy, Crimson Peak and Pacific Rim.
His most recent film Frankenstein, starring Jacob Elordi, was released last year and won multiple Oscars and Baftas.
Speaking to the Press Association ahead of the ceremony, del Toro recounted the moment he learned he had received the prize, and said: “It was like a youth dream come true.
“This is something legendary for any filmmaker, any storyteller – this is a legendary status.”
Reflecting on his career, the filmmaker said: “It feels precarious. From the outside it looks continuous, but from the inside it looks precarious. It keeps you grounded.
“It’s never easy to do what you want the way you want it and and have a continuous career. There are gaps of three, four, five years between movies, but that only comes because of the determination of never giving in.”
A host of guests from across the British film industry attended the event at The Rosewood in London, including filmmakers Edgar Wright, JJ Abrams, Rian Johnson and actor Simon Pegg.
Hot Fuzz star Pegg hailed del Toro as “the sweetest man alive”, and told PA: “He’s unique, he has this particular vision and a particular style.
“Even though every film he makes is different, there’s a signature kind of aesthetic which he has, which is unmistakably him.
“It’s great because every time he does something, you’re like ‘oh, what he’s going to do now?’, and it’s always interesting.”
The actor and comedian, known for Shaun Of The Dead, wore an all-black, satin suit with a pink floral pattern, and a lapel pin consisting of three dazzling silver skulls.
Also among the guests was Star Wars filmmaker Abrams, who described del Toro as “one of my dearest friends”.
The 59-year-old told PA: “I just think he’s a deep thinking, deep feeling humanist, and I think his movies reflect that. He always finds the humanity and the emotion in the other and the unusual.
“I think that’s why so many people relate to it, because I think we all feel that way.”
Abrams added: “Being with (del Toro) is always an inspiration.”
The event was hosted by BFI chairman Jay Hunt and Hollywood star Cate Blanchett gave the highly sought-after prize to del Toro.
The filmmaker joins previous recipients of the BFI Fellowship, including Bette Davis, Dame Elizabeth Taylor, Orson Welles, Spike Lee and Martin Scorsese.
The Fellowship forms part of a wider BFI celebration of del Toro’s work, including a major season at London’s BFI Southbank and BFI Imax spanning screenings, conversations and special events with the director that will take place next month.
His 1992 film debut Cronos will be re-released in cinemas in the UK and Ireland from May 15.
