Fish Out Of Water

A woman with octopus characteristics visits a plastic surgeon with an urgent need to fit into society. A Nordic surreal portrayal about the strangeness of social pressures and wanting desperately to belong.

  • Iris Magdalene Schmidt
    Director
  • Rasmus Hougaard
    Producer
  • Iris Magdalene Schmidt
    Writer
  • Coco Hjardemaal Laybourne
    Key Cast
    Far til fire & vikingerne, Oda Omvendt, Fars Drenge, Bedrag
  • Karen Margrethe Gotfredsen
    Key Cast
    Limboland, Human Factors
  • Barbara Alexandersen
    Director of Photography
    Babylons stol (TV)
  • Madhav Shyam
    Visual Effects
    Star Trek: Discovery (TV Series), The Mandalorian, Fear The Walking Dead, Angry Birds Blues
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Sci-Fi, Drama, Surreal, Nordic, Female Led, Bizarre, Absurd, Greek, Danish, Female Director
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 3 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Denmark
  • Country of Filming:
    Denmark
  • Language:
    Danish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • TiSFF * THESS INTERNATIONAL SHORTS
    Thessaloniki
    Greece
    October 12, 2022
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Iris Magdalene Schmidt

Danish and Greek film director Iris Magdalene Schmidt uses her hybrid upbringing and lack of belonging to question structures and stereotypes through her storytelling.

Growing up in multiple cities across Europe and the US, Iris is deeply inspired by the dilemmas that evolve when human beings have to fit in after changing environments.

In her filmmaking, Iris Magdalene Schmidt strives to portray the streamlining tendencies that often characterize homogenous societies. This leaves the main characters out of their element. That is reflected in the characters’ conflicting attitudes; at a psychological and behavioural level - and is illustrated visually by applying features that differentiate their appearance from the rest of society.

The main characters become an epitome of the need to challenge norms and already existing belief systems.

Artistically, Iris Magdalene Schmidt combines Nordic traditions rooted in realism with sci-fi and dystopian universes. Her multifaceted approach creates a visual style and framework that is highly conceptual, to support her storytelling of questioning prevailing social structures.

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Director Statement

Fish Out Of Water is a surrealist portrayal of being out of your element and wanting to fit into the environment around you while being unable to.