Guillermo del Toro’s new film The Shape of Water has made quite the splash in Venice, with the romantic fantasy picking up the Golden Lion award at the 74th Venice Film Festival.
The Shape of Water takes place during the Cold War and follows a lonely janitor (Sally Hawkins) working in a government laboratory, who befriends and falls in love with an amphibious creature, played by Doug Jones. Also featuring in the cast are Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer, Richard Jenkins, Michael Stuhlbarg and Lauren Lee Smith.
Other winners in Venice including Foxtrot (Grand Jury Prize), Sweet Country (Special Jury Prize) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Screenplay), while Xavier Legrand scored the Silver Lion for Best Director and Lion of the Future awards for Jusqu’a La Garde. Charlotte Rampling (Hannah), Kamel El Basha (The Insult) and Charlie Plummer (Lean On Pete) were also honoured in the acting categories.
SEE ALSO: Watch the trailer for The Shape of Water
From master story teller, Guillermo del Toro, comes THE SHAPE OF WATER – an other-worldly fairy tale, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1963. In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is trapped in a life of silence and isolation. Elisa’s life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover a secret classified experiment.
The Shape of Water is set for release on December 8th.
Originally published September 10, 2017. Updated November 30, 2022.
