Winner of an Honorary Academy Award® for lifetime achievement, Charles Burnett remains one of our country’s most celebrated independent filmmakers. In his charming The Annihilation of Fish, Lynn Redgrave plays Poinsettia, a former housewife with an imagined lover in the form of 19th-century composer Giacomo Puccini. She moves into a Los Angeles boarding house 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 against unseen demons. In the face of personal challenges and differences, the couple grows together and begins to discover new things about themselves and the nuances of love and happiness.
In celebration of The Film Foundation’s 35th anniversary, we’re proud to present The Searchers, The Annihilation of Fish and Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors as part of this year’s edition of Restored & Rediscovered. We are also proud to celebrate Milestone Films’ 35th anniversary as leaders in the field of film restoration championing underrepresented filmmakers.
The Annihilation of Fish was restored in 4K and film by UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation in collaboration with Milestone Films. Funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.
