Guillermo del Toro Returns to Cannes with Restored Pan's Labyrinth
Guillermo del Toro presented a newly restored 4K version of Pan's Labyrinth at the Cannes Film Festival. The screening marked the 20th anniversary of the film's original premiere and included discussion of its production history.
The Hollywood ReporterThe film originally screened in competition at Cannes in 2006. Del Toro told The Hollywood Reporter that the press was leaving the festival when the film screened on the final day. The screening ended with a standing ovation that lasted 23 minutes, a record that still stands. Del Toro said the ovation was the largest and most emotional he had experienced.
Toro described the production as the second-worst filmmaking experience of his life. He said nobody wanted to finance the film and that preproduction, production, and postproduction were all difficult. The film arrived at Cannes just in time with the print. It follows a young girl named Ofelia who encounters a faun in the woods near a Francoist military outpost in 1944 Spain.
Toro said Pan's Labyrinth and Old Boy marked a shift in Cannes programming toward genre films from outside Europe and the United States. The film later screened at the New York Film Festival and Toronto. It received six Academy Award nominations and won three for best cinematography, best art direction, and best makeup.
The film grossed $83 million worldwide after being made for under $20 million. The restored version will release theatrically in the United States via Cineverse and Fathom Entertainment. Mexican exhibitor Cinépolis will lead theatrical distribution in Mexico and Latin America.
The theatrical run launches October 9, del Toro's birthday, and will include a 3D version for the first time.
