The accolades that filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has earned over the course of his career are impressive. They include two Academy Awards, six Ariel Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and dozens more. Now, The Shape of Water director can add an honorary doctorate to his collection.
On Thursday (November 17), del Toro was presented with the degree by the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), which is considered one of the best universities to attend in Latin America.
“[Recipients] have stood out for their quality, for their thirst for knowledge, creative capacity and great generosity to share,” said Enrique Graue, UNAM rector.
The honorary doctorate was given to del Toro for his contribution to cinematography and other arts. “Doctor Del Toro,” del Toro said on his social media alongside a photo of him holding the degree.
“I want to say that this is a singular honor,” he said. “I think it is important as a Mexican to travel to creative spaces that are global, but always remember that your roots will never stop being in Mexico. That is what makes this a moving and personal moment because it comes from a university that has gone hand in hand with the deepest cultural life in Mexico. It is an award that is committed to what has been done, but it is committed to what is to come.”
What is to come in the film industry is a new generation of filmmakers. Guillermo del Toro had a message for them during his acceptance speech.
“That is what I want to say to the people who come, to the young people who may by chance be seeing this,” he said. “That path is open, it is legitimate and that path that was mine, I give it to you.”