The black-and-white animated film ‘Moonfish’ made its debut at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 6 after securing funding through the Biennale College Cinema grant program. The project marks the directorial debut of Daniel Zvereff, who designed the 2D-animated work to be completable entirely by himself, though he ultimately collaborated with animators Hoss Wheeler and Devin Grover over a nine-month production period.
The film centers on two astronauts, voiced by Lucy Liu and Morgan Spector, who undertake a mission to the moon constrained by corporate quotas that determine their ability to return home. Zvereff conceived the lunar setting as an allegory for contemporary human experience, emphasizing how modern society maintains constant digital connectivity while simultaneously fostering feelings of disconnection. The narrative explores themes of isolation, loneliness, and the inversion of the relationship between humans and technology, with Spector’s character describing the fictional future as one where corporations and computers have merged into an authoritarian system that exploits human beings.
Liu, known for voice work in films including ‘Kung Fu Panda’ and ‘Strange World,’ emphasized her interest in supporting emerging filmmakers working outside traditional industry structures. She highlighted the craftsmanship and intentional imperfection evident in the hand-drawn animation, contrasting it with the efficiency of digital production methods. Spector, making his animated film debut, described the challenge of inhabiting his character’s psychological state as the astronaut experiences deteriorating mental stability.
Zvereff noted that Liu also voices a talking fish accompanying the astronauts, which he compared to the historical practice of miners carrying canaries to signal dangerous conditions. Despite the film’s exploration of bleak themes centered on corporate control and human exploitation, Zvereff indicated that the work ultimately maintains optimism regarding humanity’s future, with the creative process transforming accumulated anxieties into unexpectedly positive artistic light.
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