Documentary On Controversial Cartoonist Mr. Fish Wraps Principal Photography

Los Angeles, December 1, 2014 (Newswire.com) - The Indiegogo campaign link is listed below. The director, Pablo Bryant's, pitch video as well as the NSFW trailer (due to the nature of Mr. Fish's artwork) is located on the Indiegogo page. "But don't let that NSFW tag stop you from learning more about the amazing intellect of this brilliant American artist. He just might become your favorite cartoonist as well," says producer Ted Collins.

The documentary titled Mr. Fish: Cartooning From The Deep End, which explores the life of the controversial cartoonist, wrapped principle photography. The film follows the award winning artist who is known for mixing fine art, politics and x-rated humor in cartoons that eviscerate the right and the left with equal zeal revealing the artist’s own sense of outrage for the whole of politics. Like his art, Mr. Fish is a fascinating blend of intellectual precision and scatological perversity, delightfully finding the absurd humor of life in the dark side of humanity. Filmed over 3 years, the film captures the tumult of the artist’s life as opportunities for him seem to constantly vanish and reappear.  As a freelance cartoonist and illustrator whose material is often too outrageous for his publishers, the film depicts the difficulty of having to providing for his family while creating cartoons that are often more edgy than his publishers can handle (Harpers dropped him for this reason). But Mr. Fish is prolific with a growing fan base and, remarkably over the 3 years of filming, he developed an animated series for the company Bento Box, had a gallery opening in L.A., and was commissioned to curate a show on the history of cartoons for USC Annenberg, that he later developed into an ebook. While the freelance lifestyle puts stress on his family life, it always seems that his moment in the sun is about to happen.

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

Robert Scheer, Journalist, Editor in Chief, Truthdig.com

The film has received a grant from the Pacific Pioneer Fund and producers Pablo Bryant and Ted Collins have launched a crowd funding campaign through the Indiegogo platform designed to connect with fans of art and cartoons. The producer/director Pablo Bryant said in a recent interview, “Since the cartoon world has exploded with Comic-Con and the rise of graphic novels, we know fans will find Mr. Fish’s bizarre hybrid of fine art and cartooning a great addition to that super creative world.”  The film is prepping for postproduction and has attached veteran editor Adam Lichtenstein to edit.  The Indiegogo campaign can be found at: http://igg.me/at/mrfishfundraiser

About Mr. Fish/Artist

Mr. Fish describes himself as a “Cartoonist and freelance writer for twenty years, publishing under both his own name and the penname of Mr. Fish. In addition to Harper’s Magazine and Truthdig.com, his work has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Village Voice, Vanity Fair, Mother Jones Magazine, the Advocate, Z Magazine, the Utne Reader, Slate.com, MSNBC.com and others.  He was recently the subject of a two-page spread in the Sunday edition of the leading daily independent Croatian newspaper, Novi list, where he was described as Croatia’s favorite American cartoonist, a fact that has never gotten him laid. Not even a little bit.” His website is www.clowncrack.com. He Published his book of cartoons titled GO FISH in 2011 and recently published an ebook on the history of cartooning called WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT published through Annenberg Press.

About Pablo Bryant/Producer/Director

Pablo Bryant has been the Director of Photography on three feature documentaries. He has also shot additional photography on other projects, including HBO’s Cinema Verite’ , and the documentary The Vanishing of the Bees, narrated by Ellen Page. In addition to his work as a cameraman he has produced, and directed a short documentary film about the epidemic of homeless children in the US called Stand Up For Kids.

About Ted Collins/Producer

Ted Collins is a multi-award winning producer-writer-director. He produced his first feature, Unconditional Love, shortly after graduating from Emerson College in Boston. The film won seven film festivals, including the “Golden Starfish” Award at the Hamptons International Film Festival in ’94. Next he produced Circles, starring Neal McDonough, Amy Smart, and Antonio Sabato, Jr. Circles won the top prize at the Newport Beach International Film Festival in ’98. He sold the film after it's first screening in NY at the IFFM to SoHo Entertainment. Other credits include Sally, starring Rachael Leigh Cook and Michael Weston, and the indie film Callback. The Intervention, a spiritual horror film reminiscent of Rosemary's Baby and Dose of Reality, a noir thriller, are a few of his more recent titles. Ted’s labor of love, is a PG-13 teen comedy entitled, They Might Be Kennedys, which he also wrote. It is currently in pre-production with John Burgess to direct. Neal McDonough is on board to play 80's era "Senator Ted Kennedy," as well as Executive Producing. Principal Photography is set to start late spring/early summer, 2015.

Click to View: Pablo Bryant's pitch video NSFW trailer