Zadoc Nava
BIG FISH is an impressionistic portrait of fisherman, artist and performer - José Nava. The film chronicles his life from the barrios of Acapulco to ‘this cold land’ - where he feels like ‘a fish in the wrong pond!’- and explores how circumstances, including his father’s murder, influenced Jose’s unique way of seeing.
The film presents a nuanced picture of his father, the Mexican artist José Nava, over a period that spans several decades up until his father’s recent death. With echoes of Mexico’s Day of Dead festivities, the work is a moving and irreverent celebration of his father’s tumultuous life, and touches on a pervasive reluctance in Western culture to confront the shadow of death. "The Snowman was a chance to wind up a visual conversation with my dad that began a long time ago. He was, and remains, a big presence in my life, even now that he’s gone. Despite the sadness, making the work and looking back at the material, was incredibly rewarding - the experience was unexpectedly life-affirming." Zadoc Nava
