Acclaimed director Charles Burnett finally gets the proper release for his lost film “The Annihilation of Fish”.
IndieWire can announce that in 1999 film has landed a 4K restoration and theatrical release. “The Annihilation of Fish” first screened at the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival and was acquired for distribution; however, the distributor canceled the film’s release after a bad review in Variety. “The Annihilation of Fish” has never been available on any media anywhere in nearly 30 years.
“The Annihilation of Fish” stars Lynn Redgrave as Poinsettia, a former housewife with an imagined lover in the form of 19th-century composer Giacomo Puccini. She moves into a boarding house in Los Angeles with an energetic landlady (Margot Kidder) where she meets a Jamaican widower, Fish (James Earl Jones), who has recently been released from a mental institution despite his continued battles with unseen demons. Faced with personal challenges and differences, the couple grows together and begins to discover new things about themselves and the nuances of love and happiness.
Adapted from a short story by Anthony C. Winkler, the feature is billed as a “tender comedy that gracefully tackles such issues as race, mental illness and aging with anarchic humor and energy.”
The 4K restoration of “The Annihilation of Fish” debuted in 2024 as part of the UCLA Festival of Preservation. Burnett reflected on the “difficult” journey to get the film to wide release.
“I’m curious, because it’s been locked up for a very long time for all sorts of reasons and you wonder if it’s still relevant, how the audience will take it,” Burnett told IndieWire. “Everybody I know who is an independent filmmaker has similar problems in many ways, trying to get films and trying to get them outso you don’t really feel like an exception.”
He added, “I’m just sad that Lynn Redgrave isn’t here to get her reward, so to speak, for working with us and getting the film made, and for having faith and trust in us to make a good movie. Same thing with James Earl Jones and Paul Heller, who worked so hard on everything, and (writer/screenwriter) Tony Winkler, all good people, and they should be here enjoying this moment, and I’m sad about that .”
Burnett previously received a Governor’s Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2017, and is considered one of the most celebrated independent filmmakers. “The Annihilation of Fish” was his first comedy.
The restoration was done by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation in collaboration with Milestone Films, with funding from the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. “The Annihilation of Fish” was restored from the original 35mm image negative and 35mm optical track negative by UCLA restorer Jillian Borders; laboratory services were by Roundabout Entertainment, Inc., FotoKem, Audio Mechanics and Simon Daniel Sound.
“The Annihilation of Fish” was written by Anthony Winkler, produced by Paul Heller and Kris Dodge, edited by Nancy Richardson, cinematography by John Demps, Jr., sound by Veda Campbell, music by Laura Karpman, production designer Nina Ruscio, and had production manager Ed Santiago.
“There are so many people I have to thank who worked over the years to get ‘The Annihilation of Fish’ restored and released,” Burnett said in a press release. “Releasing the film means a lot to everyone involved, especially the cast and crew, especially the late Paul Heller, who spent ten years producing the film. I want to thank Milestone Films, the UCLA Film & Television Archive, The Film Foundation and the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation, which found the funding to restore and release it so film lovers can enjoy this story of two distinctly different, lonely people who find love in a crazy world while holding on to their bizarre views of life.”
Milestone Films and Kino Lorber are releasing the restoration to celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary and director Burnett’s 80th birthday.
“The annihilation of the fish” in 4K premieres in cinemas on February 14 at BAM. Check out the trailer below.
