Filmmaker Statement

"After losing my father unexpectedly in 2001, I found myself propelled into a decades’ long journey of grief and healing, leading ultimately to a lingering fascination with what comes after this life and a certain irreverence toward social norms around death and dying. With 'Fish Story', I wanted to show that grief can be heartache and sadness, but also deep connection. It can be full of moments of play and light. I also wanted to point to the way that children hold more room for the mystery of it all. They are especially brilliant at staying present with their feelings around death, and they seem to know that form is fluid and that loved ones are never really gone – that they are still here with us." — Annique Witdoeckt