Venice-Selected ‘Moonfish,’ Starring Morgan Spector and Lucy Liu, Boarded by New Europe (EXCLUSIVE)

New Europe Film Sales has acquired the animated film “Moonfish” by Daniel Zvereff, starring Morgan Spector (“The Gilded Age,” “Homeland”) and Lucy Liu (“Kill Bill,” “Charlie’s Angels”). The film will be screened in the Biennale College section at the 83rd Venice Intl. Film Festival.

In “Moonfish,” a grieving astronaut who’s lost his only companion on a deep-space mining mission must fulfil a strict corporate quota to return home. As his year of solitude passes, his grip on reality blurs the line between the living and non-living.

The movie was produced by Rebecca Wyzan for Present Company, Mireia Vilanova for Lucky Accident Productions and James Belfer for Cartuna. Spector and Liu executive produced.

Zvereff, the film’s writer, director and lead animator, is based in Brooklyn, New York. His films explore displacement, time and the mysterious undercurrents of reality. His animated shorts have screened at festivals including Sundance, SXSW and Palm Springs. He also made music videos for Bon Iver, among others.

“Moonfish” was developed and produced as part of the 14th edition of Biennale College – Cinema, which ran over the past year. Biennale College – Cinema is an advanced training laboratory, launched at the 2012 Venice Film Festival, which is open to filmmakers from all over the world.

The film was produced with a production grant from La Biennale di Venezia. It is the first animated film to receive a grant in the Biennale College – Cinema’s history.

New Europe’s CEO, Jan Naszewski, said in a statement: “ ‘Moonfish’ is a profound emotional and intellectual experience and a true auteur work by Daniel. I cannot wait for the world to discover it.”

Zvereff and the producing team said, “It was important for us to collaborate with a team who understood the essence of our film, and we are thrilled to be working with New Europe, who have a history of championing distinct, creative voices. We are also grateful to have the support of the Biennale College – Cinema, who developed this project with us as true partners.”