We are delighted to welcome Kunle Olulode for an in-person intro before the film.
The Annihilation of Fish
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.” Martin Scorsese, Founder and Chair of The Film Foundation.
Charles Burnett may be one of the great American directors of the past half-century, playing a part in formulating the famed LA Rebellion school and bringing a hardnosed reality to tales of Black American life. And yet, The Annihilation of Fish, starring James Earl Jones, Lynn Redgrave and Margot Kidder, is a rare light-hearted work from him. That it has gone without distribution since release is as absurd an indictment of the vagaries of film industry politics as you could possibly find. Only now is this being rectified.
The Annihilation of Fish finds Burnett playfully ruminating on ageing and romance, via the guise of a sweet and sincere comedy, as two new tenants (Earl Jones and Redgrave) in an apartment building, both with peculiar eccentricities (Earl Jones has been recently released from a mental institution for fighting with a figment of his imagination; Redgrave has recently broken up with her ‘lover’ the long-dead 19thcentury composer Puccini). As the two grow closer together, Burnett uncovers their unique humanity amidst the hijinks and whimsical humour - yet without sensationalising or poking fun at their life experiences.
Kunle Olulode
Kunle is the Director of Black umbrella charity Voice4Change England. V4CE is national community and charity infrastructure body. Its members number over 400 Black & Minority Ethnic community organisations and charities covering everything from social enterprise to the arts; criminal justice to migrant rights.
A keen film buff and film historian, he is known for his ground-breaking work on black representation in art presented as part of the Miro season at Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 2012. He was a course convener for the BFI BLACK STAR blockbuster season (2016). Co-curated the Black & Banned Season (2018) at South Bank specifically focusing on issues censorship in politics and the arts. In 2024 he has taken time out to look at the work of cult African film maker Diop Mambety.
A 4K restoration by UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation with funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.
