Guillermo Del Toro selects
“A true classic has to be both intimate and universal. To speak about cinema through cinema requires a voice unwavering in its passion and purity.”
So wrote Guillermo del Toro in the 2012 Sight & Sound Greatest Films of all Time poll, referring to Fellini’s 8½. The remarkably rich cinematic language of del Toro’s films has been shaped by his encyclopaedic knowledge of the art form. The director often talks in characteristically big-hearted fashion about the films that have shaped him the most and their impact on his own work. As part of his BFI Fellowship, del Toro has selected a few of his personal highlights (including 8½) from the BFI Player collection. Whether it’s La Belle et la Bete’s influence on The Shape of Water, or the vampiric imagery of Nosferatu inspiring Cronos, their impact is apparent throughout his work in ways both grand and subtle. A retrospective of Del Toro's films plays at BFI Southbank from 1-31 May 2026. Image credit John Wilson Netflix © 2025
