Guillermo del Toro's masterpiece Pan's Labyrinth is returning to the French Riviera with a brand new 4K restoration, meticulously overseen by the director himself, 20 years after it captivated and terrified audiences at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006. The film will be presented at the festival's opening screening on May 12 and will be one of the highlights in this year's Cannes Classics section.

When the film made its international premiere at Cannes in 2006, it received a 22-minute standing ovation, one of the longest in cinema history. This record still stands as one of Cannes' most iconic moments. This year, the Cannes Classics program will also feature significant works such as Akira Kurosawa's first feature film Sugata Sanshiro, Chen Kaige's 1993 film Farewell My Concubine, Ken Russell's long-unavailable horror film The Devils, and Orson Welles' post-war thriller The Stranger.

Set in Franco's fascist Spain in 1944, Pan's Labyrinth revolves around young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero). Ofelia's new stepfather, Captain Vidal (Sergi López), a loyal follower of Franco, is trying to eliminate local resistance groups along with her pregnant mother (Ariadna Gil). Meanwhile, Ofelia discovers a fantastical underground world where she meets a terrifying Faun (Doug Jones) who believes she is the reincarnation of the lost Princess Moanna. To prove her right to rule again, Ofelia must pass three tests and encounters various strange creatures, including the child-eating Pale Man (also Doug Jones).

Upon its initial release in 2006, the film achieved great success with both critics and audiences. Thanks to its low budget and original vision, it became a landmark in cinema and will be re-released in theaters this fall.

This year's Cannes Classics program is dedicated to the late renowned production designer and art director Dean Tavoularis, who passed away last month in France. A frequent collaborator of Francis Ford Coppola, Tavoularis worked on The Godfather and its sequels, The Conversation, and Apocalypse Now, and also contributed to Bonnie and Clyde, Zabriskie Point, and The Ninth Gate.