Pan's Labyrinth

Pan's Labyrinth, originally known in Spanish as El Laberinto del Fauno (The Labyrinth of the Faun), is a 2006 Spanish-Mexicandark fantasy film written and directed by Mexican Guillermo del Toro. It was produced and distributed by Esperanto Films.

The story takes place in Spain in May–June 1944, five years after the Spanish Civil War, during the early Francoist period. The narrative of the film intertwines this real world with a mythical world centered on an overgrown abandoned labyrinth and a mysterious faun creature, with whom the main character, Ofelia, interacts. Ofelia's stepfather, the Falangist Captain Vidal, hunts the Spanish Maquis who fight against the Francoist regime in the region, while Ofelia's pregnant mother grows increasingly ill. Ofelia meets several strange and magical creatures who become central to her story, leading her through the trials of the old labyrinth garden. The film employs make-up, animatronics, and CGI effects to bring life to its creatures.

Labyrinth

In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (Greek λαβύρινθος labyrinthos) was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur eventually killed by the hero Theseus. Daedalus had so cunningly made the Labyrinth that he could barely escape it after he built it.

Although early Cretan coins occasionally exhibit branching (multicursal) patterns, the single-path (unicursal) seven-course "Classical" design without branching or dead ends became associated with the Labyrinth on coins as early as 430 BC, and similar non-branching patterns became widely used as visual representations of the Labyrinth – even though both logic and literary descriptions make it clear that the Minotaur was trapped in a complex branching maze. Even as the designs became more elaborate, visual depictions of the mythological Labyrinth from Roman times until the Renaissance are almost invariably unicursal. Branching mazes were reintroduced only when garden mazes became popular during the Renaissance.

Ivana Baquero

Ivana Baquero Macías (born June 11, 1994), better known as Ivana Baquero, is a Spanish actress. At the age of 11, she was chosen by director Guillermo del Toro to star as Ofelia in Pan's Labyrinth, for which she won critical acclaim and the Goya Award for Best New Actress.

Early life

Baquero was born in Barcelona, the daughter of Ivan Baquero and Julia Macías. She attended school in Barcelona and attended the American School of Barcelona, where she learned to speak fluent English and Catalan. She graduated in 2012.

Career

Baquero acted in a few small roles in a number of films before receiving great acclaim on Pan's Labyrinth. The most notable of these films is Fragile, in which she played a minor role alongside Calista Flockhart and Richard Roxburgh. She was in a number of other films including Romasanta and Rottweiler. She has also appeared on Spanish television on a few occasions.

From about 1000 young actresses, Baquero was picked to play the role of Ofelia in Pan's Labyrinth in 2006. Guillermo Del Toro, the director of the film, said that when he first saw her with her curly hair and deep dark eyes, he knew instantly that she was perfect for the role. The role of Ofelia was originally intended for a girl of the age of 8, but the script was altered to accommodate Baquero, who was 11 at the time.