(Charles Burnett, 1999, USA, 103 minutes) 

A coveted unreleased film from the MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grant winner Charles Burnett (Killer of Sheep, To Sleep with Anger, not to mention 2008 guest of the Webster Film Series), The Annihilation of Fish stars the late James Earl Jones as Jamaican widower Obediah ‘Fish’ Johnson, recently released from a mental institution. Fish takes up residence in a boarding house run by Mrs. Muldoon (Margot Kidder, Superman) and befriends fellow resident Poinsettia (Lynn Redgrave, Gods & Monsters). Shot in 1999 and world premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in September of that year, a bad Variety review out of the gate doomed The Annihilation of Fish’s intended release, as its initial distributor chose to sit on it after it playing just a handful of festivals. After years of first untangling the rights and then restoring the film, finally, some 26 years later, The Annihilation of Fish is getting its first U.S. release in any format (whether theatrical or home viewing) from national treasure Milestone Films.