Culture Interviews Cinema & Tv Film festivals London Film Festival 2017

The Shape of Water premiere: A chat with Guillermo del Toro, Richard Jenkins, Alexandre Desplat and Clare Stewart on the red carpet

The Shape of Water premiere: A chat with Guillermo del Toro, Richard Jenkins, Alexandre Desplat and Clare Stewart on the red carpet

The Shape of Water is the new feature from the master of fantasy fairytale, Guillermo del Toro. The other-worldly film, starring Sally Hawkins, had its UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on 10th October. Hawkins plays Elisa, a mute janitor working in a top secret facility in the US during the Cold War era. When Elisa discovers a fish-like creature who has been captured and held there, she develops concerns over his treatment and slowly starts to build a connection with him. The beautiful film full of mystery and strangeness displays the Pan’s Labyrinth director at his visually arresting best, showcases an incredibly emotive wordless performance from award-winning Hawkins, as well as exploreing all-too-relevant issues of diversity, inclusion and loving beyond superficial differences. We were on the red carpet ready to speak with del Toro and his team about the creation of the film.

The director explained what drew him to want to tell this story, the process he took to deliver his vision and the experience of working with the talented Sally Hawkins.

Richard Jenkins talked to us about his role as Elisa’s lonely gay next door neighbour and the themes of exclusion explored in the film.

Composer Alexandre Desplat spoke about the process of developing the score, his influences and working hand in hand with auteur del Toro.

London Film Festival Director Clare Stewart talked to us about diversity and what people can take away from seeing del Toro’s latest film.

Sarah Bradbury
Videos: Marta Starczynowska

The Shape of Water is released nationwide on 16th February 2018. Read our review here.

Read more reviews and interviews from our London Film Festival 2017 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the official BFI website here.

More in Cinema & Tv

Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires

Christina Yang

“It was very interesting to read it, and have Tom DeLonge describe it”: Casper Van Dien on Monsters of California

Christina Yang

Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia to open Venice Film Festival 2025

The editorial unit

“Letting us pass this torch on to the kids just makes me reflect on how crazy this experience has been”: Milo Manheim, Meg Donnelly, Freya Skye and Malachi Barton on Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires

Christina Yang

Heads of State

Andrew Murray

Miley Cyrus unveils visual album Something Beautiful, streaming on Disney+ this July

The editorial unit

Ryan Gosling goes interstellar in Project Hail Mary, the latest sci-fi epic from the team behind The Martian and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

The editorial unit

Trailer drops for Roofman, Derek Cianfrance’s stranger-than-fiction crime drama starring Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst

The editorial unit

“It’s more about the visual literacy as opposed to authentic language”: Joshua Cassar Gaspar on The Theft of the Caravaggio at Mediterrane Film Festival 2025

Mae Trumata