MR. FISH: CARTOONING FROM THE DEEP END

A film by Pablo Bryant
2018, 70 minutes
No. 196
Documentary


MR. FISH: CARTOONING FROM THE DEEP END

$375.00
Description
A political cartoonist known for his subversive and often controversial art, Mr. Fish’s work can be seen in publications such as Harper’s, The Nation, The Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly and The Village Voice and sites like truthdig.com. In this intimate and revealing documentary, we are introduced to the dangerously funny cartoonist as he struggles to stay true to his creativity in a world where biting satiric humor has an ever-diminishing commercial value.

Having found success creating compelling editorial cartoons, we meet Mr. Fish as his profession is on its way out. Editors previously willing to back controversial work are disappearing as fast as the newspapers which once employed him. 

Undeterred, Mr. Fish faces his plight head-on and with an abundance of creative energy. In the course of this documentary he curates a show and produces a book on the history of the art form, develops an animation series, and stages a gallery show of new original fine art. But the demands of raising a family overtake his freelance opportunities, and Mr. Fish is forced to make devastating choices. 

A brilliantly insightful and timely documentary, Cartooning From the Deep End is about the kinds of compromises a radical artist makes (or refuses to make) while trying to live in a traditional society.


Festivals
Winner, Grand Jury, Best Documentary Feature, Slamdance Film Festival
Winner, Audience Award, Austin Film Festival
Official Selection, HotDocs
Official Selection, Doc NYC

Reviews
“A stubbornly amiable film about a compulsively provocative talent… Couches the larger issues of modern politics and media in a portrait of an artist almost self defeatingly resistant to compromise… Brisk and ingratiating this is an easy watch despite the frequently incendiary nature of its subject’s barbed images.” – Variety

"It is everything I live for in an art documentary... a truly fearless artist." – Ain't It Cool News

"There is no more savage yet brilliant wit than that possessed by Mr. Fish, who will never compromise on his deep artistic insight or the outrageous honesty of his social commentary. In a sellout culture he is that rare witness to unfettered truth" – Robert Scheer