The world premiere of his latest feature Pan's Labyrinth (EL LABERINTO DEL FAUNO) in competition at the 2006 Cannes International Film Festival brings Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro full circle to the place where his international career was launched. At the 1993 Cannes Festival, del Toro's first feature, the Mexican-American co-production Cronos, won the Critics' Week FRIPRESCI award. Along with its nine Ariels (Mexican Academy Awards), the film established del Toro as one of the most admired and sought-after international writer-directors.

A devotee of the gothic horror genre, del Toro followed Cronos with the environmental horror film Mimic for Dimension Films, which he directed and co-wrote. Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Northam, Josh Brolin, and Charles Dutton star in the film. After completing the New Line vampire film Blade II, starring Wesley Snipes and Kris Kristofferson, del Toro began work on Hellboy for Revolution Studios. Based on the Dark Horse graphic novels by Mike Mignola, the film has been a critical and commercial success. Del Toro recently completed the screenplay for the sequel, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, which he will also direct.

John Gaeta is a visual effects designer best known for his work on the Matrix film trilogy, where he advanced and popularized the effects known as "Bullet Time" and Virtual Cinematography as well as pushing the boundaries of computer-generated pre visualization.

John C. Gaeta's career began in New York City. While attending New York University's film school, he was introduced into the industry as a staff production assistant for the Saturday Night Live film unit. A few years later, he was drafted into the camera department of the newly-formed Trumbull Company, founded by Douglas Trumbull. It was at Trumbull Company that Gaeta was introduced and educated in a spectrum of innovative film formats such as 48fps VistaVision Simulator Films, 70mm Showscan, IMAX, Omnimax and 3D Stereo.

After co-supervising the development of paint stylizations and "Reality Capture" for What Dreams May Come (1998 Visual Effects Academy Award winner), Gaeta began his first solo effects supervision project for Larry and Andy Wachowski's film, The Matrix. Gaeta was also brought on as the senior visual effects supervisor for The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.

Throughout and following the Matrix trilogy he has investigated emerging real time interactive and hybrid format potential. After directing the surreal short film, Homeland, made entirely in Japan, John Gaeta began work developing concepts for both film and game for the upcoming Speed Racer.

Jordan Mechner is one of the videogame industry's most respected creators. His titles, including Karateka, The Last Express, and the Prince of Persia franchise, have sold millions of copies and received worldwide critical acclaim. He is the writer-director of two award-winning short films, Waiting for Dark and Chavez Ravine: A Los Angeles Story. Mechner received his B.A. from Yale University.

Jim Ward is President of LucasArts and Senior Vice President at Lucasfilm, Ltd. He leads the business growth of LucasArts, creator of such popular games as Star Wars: Battlefront and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, along with an increasing amount of original content, such as the best-selling Mercenaries. Additionally, in his role as Senior Vice President, Lucasfilm, Ltd., Ward oversees the planning, development and execution of global marketing and distribution programs for all of Lucasfilm's motion picture, television and video properties - including Star Wars and Indiana Jones - and the marketing efforts for all of Lucasfilm's corporate activities.

Ward began his career in advertising, first in New York at Doyle Dane Bernbach, and then as Senior Vice President and General Manager at BBDO/Los Angeles. As an advertising executive, Jim was involved with every major global product introduction for Apple Computer, including the influential PowerBook computer. For its work on the PowerBook, the American Marketing Association awarded Apple, BBDO and Ward two Gold Effies, as well as the Grand Effie for the biggest marketing and advertising achievement of the year. In 1993, Ward received BBDO's highest honor, the Founder's Award.