MOONFISH
Directed by Daniel Zvereff
USA, Italy | 2026 | animation
A grieving astronaut isolated on a deep-space mining mission must fulfill a strict corporate quota to return home. As his solitude deepens, a mysterious presence awakens in the deep, shifting him toward an unexpected pulse of hope.
Credits
Director: Daniel Zvereff
Screenplay:Daniel Zvereff
Cast: Morgan Spector (The Gilded Age, Homeland), Lucy Liu (Kill Bill, Charlie’s Angels)
Production Company: Rebecca Wyzan for Present Company, Mireia Vilanova for Lucky AccidentProductions, and James Belfer for Cartuna
Executive Produced by: Morgan Spector, Lucy Liu
With support from: Biennale College Cinema
Festivals & Awards
World Premiere – Biennale College 83rd Venice International Film Festival
press quotes
“The animation is unique, falling somewhere between Pixar’s most experimental and the rotoscoping Richard Linklater brought to such works as ‘A Scanner Darkly.”
“Sami Jano’s propulsive score shifts between unusually tense and hauntingly beautiful, proving an absolute asset to the film.”
THE PLAYLIST
“There are some obvious parallels to draw between “Moonfish” and another 2026 release, “Project Hail Mary.” Both films follow a man whose work abandons him in outer space and forces him to befriend a non-human companion while he plots his escape”
INDIEWIRE
“Simplicity is the name of the game, and [Zvereff] makes a virtue of it to tell his sci-fi tale of loneliness in space”
“American writer/director/animator Daniel Zvereff deserves additional plaudits for getting Moonfish over the finish line, not least because he did it in nine months”
EYE FOR FILM
“Another title that came out of the program that’s worth noting is a beautifully made animated film called “Moonfish,” featuring the voice of Lucy Liu. It’s directed by a promising filmmaker and animator, Daniel Zvereff, and deserves to get distribution”
SF CHRONICLE
