Synopsis
Amid the city¡¯s crowded raw fish restaurants, where did the halibut in small glass tanks come from? The team Wide Flat Fish follows their stories to the sea, turning memories of confinement, death, and liberation into a performance. Reaching beyond the screen, they invite you to meet on flat ground, connected through the glass wall.
Director's Statement
The halibut, often referred to as flatfish, is considered the most popular choice for raw fish in Korea. Easily spotted in the aquariums of city seafood restaurants, these fish are, in fact, raised solely for consumption in hundreds of fish farms across Jeju Island. This documentary begins at a seafood market in Seoul, where halibuts meet their end, and journeys to the fish farms of Jeju, where they are bred—eventually arriving at Jeju¡¯s marine protected areas, where halibuts were originally meant to live. Beyond addressing issues like industrial aquaculture and the shortcomings of marine conservation zones, the film invites viewers to share a gaze with the halibut, to project themselves onto its body. Through performance sequences, we aim not just to raise awareness of a violent reality, but to inspire a sliver of courage—the courage to meet the halibut¡¯s eyes on the floor.