BHM25: The Annihilation of Fish (1999) 4K Restoration
- Fri, Feb 28
Director: Charles Burnett Run Time: 108 min. Rating: R Release Year: 1999
Starring: Andy Garza, James Earl Jones, Lynn Redgrave, Margot Kidder, Sarah Benoit
Country: United States
Language: English
“Charles Burnett is one of the finest filmmakers in this country. His pictures speak in a cinematic voice that is uniquely and completely his own. For much too long, The Annihilation of Fish has been in limbo. It took many years and endless persistence to rescue this beautiful, delicate picture and get the original materials properly restored and preserved.… I’m so happy that it’s finally ready for the world to discover.” — Martin Scorsese
Gateway Film Foundation is proud to unveil its Black History Month 2025 program, a thoughtfully curated selection of films which honor the rich tapestry of Black experiences and showcase the talents of groundbreaking filmmakers.
The 2025 edition of our Black History Month Program is made possible thanks to the generosity of Larry and Donna James and the Kridler Family Fund, and the ongoing support of the Greater Columbus Arts Council, The Ohio Arts Council, the Columbus Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Shot in 1999, The Annihilation of Fish screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in September of that year and was acquired for distribution. But following one bad review in Variety, the distributor canceled the film’s release. For almost a quarter of a century, The Annihilation of Fish has been unavailable on all media — it has never been distributed on 35mm, DCP, VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, television, or streaming.
In Charles Burnett’s long-awaited 1999 comedic masterpiece, The Annihilation of Fish, Obediah “Fish” Johnson (James Earl Jones) is an aging Jamaican widower who has spent decades wrestling an invisible demon named Hank. De-institutionalized, he takes a bus to Los Angeles and finds lodging in the eccentric boarding house of Mrs. Muldroone (Margot Kidder). There Fish meets Poinsettia (Lynn Redgrave), who has moved from San Francisco, fleeing her spurned long-dead fiancé, composer Giacomo Puccini. The two lodgers become friends, playing endless games of gin that Poinsettia always wins. Fish persuades her to referee his demonic wrestling matches — Hank does not fight fair…
About the filmmaker:
Charles Burnett is an American film director, film producer, writer, editor, actor, photographer, and cinematographer. His most popular films include Killer of Sheep, My Brother’s Wedding, To Sleep with Anger, The Glass Shield, and Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation.
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