The director of Pan's Labyrinth and The Shape of Water introduces his new film, a dazzling stop-motion animation version of the Pinocchio story, at the BFI London Film Festival, presented in partnership with American Express (5-16 October). In 1930s Italy, where fascist dictator Benito Mussolini rules with an iron fist, carpenter Geppetto’s life is dominated by his grief over the loss of Carlo, his 10-year-old son. He finds comfort in carving a wooden puppet, which a blue wood spirit unexpectedly brings to life. Geppetto names it Pinocchio. Despite its many flaws and imperfections, the wooden child is loved unconditionally by its surrogate father. But even with the sage advice of Sebastian J Cricket and the discovery that he possesses the gift of eternal life, Pinocchio’s actions continue to be ill-judged; he is constantly swayed by unscrupulous people, including ‘Il Duce’ himself. Del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water) is a perfect match for Collodi’s tale, never shying away from the story’s darker elements, while delivering on the themes of redemption and the power of parental love. Created with state-of-the-art stop motion animation, this is an enchanting and a magical experience. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetotheBFI Claim an extended BFI Player Subscription free trial (UK only) - subscribe using code BFIYOUTUBE: http://theb.fi/player-subscription Watch more on BFI Player: http://player.bfi.org.uk/ Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BritishFilmInstitute Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britishfilminstitute/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BFI