Notes from a Fish 2025

Directed by Tom Levesque, Romy Hooper Māhutonga

An aspiring novelist finds inspiration gurgling down the drain when his unconventional muse, a tropical fish, goes missing in this darkly absurd romp through the mean-ish streets of Auckland’s inner suburbs.

Aug 08

Hollywood Avondale

82 minutes
TBC
NZ Classification TBC

Producer

Eva Trebilco

Screenplay

Tom Levesque

Cinematography

Tom Levesque

Editor

Tom Levesque

Production Designers

Eva Trebilco, Tom Levesque, Romy Hooper

Animator

Zayd Nasir

Sound

Angus Webb

Music

Sonya Ishimnikova

Cast

Romy Hooper, Emilio Mancilla, Tom Sainsbury, Arlo Gibson, Yvette Parsons, John Leigh, Mark Mitchinson, Daniel Watterson

World Premiere

Leroy (Emilio Mancilla) is battling to get his debut novel completed, struggling through a bout of writer’s block while house sitting for a friend. He finds his creative breakthrough in the eyes of the iridescent fish, Kirby, that has been left in his care, who seems to have unlocked something in Leroy’s mind.

Before he can take full advantage of his maritime muse, the writer wakes to find Kirby missing, presumably fish-napped. This kicks off a comic odyssey through the underbelly of Auckland’s rare fish black market and the cruel vagaries of the local literary scene. Joined in his quest by Charlie (Romy Hooper), an unstable nautical private eye, Leroy is pushed well out of his comfort zone as he confronts a series of kooks and misfits in search of his psychic fish.

Part crime caper, part screwball comedy, Notes from a Fish delights in making its hapless characters run the gauntlet of truly unfortunate events. Directors Tom Levesque and Romy Hooper each make distinct contributions – Levesque brings the paranoid obsession of his earlier feature Shut Eye, while Hooper provides deft comic chops in front of and behind the camera. — Adrian Hatwell