Experiencing Interruptions?

The Smoking Fish

Inspired by true events surrounding a remake.
In 1976, a 19-year-old actress becomes a symbol of scandal when she starts her career in The Smoking Fish, delivering the first-ever nude scene in Venezuelan cinema. The media crucifies her, turning her into a controversial figure. Decades later, she returns to the iconic film, now as the lead. As she embarks on the remake's production, her personal life spirals into a passionate affair with the married director and a complicated romance with the young male protagonist. Life and art intertwine as her real-world turmoil mirrors the love triangle she portrays on screen. More than just the professional redemption she seeks, The Smoking Fish will once again change her life in unexpected ways.
(Work in progress. Completion date January 2026).

  • Luis Fernandez
    Director
  • Luis Fernandez
    Writer
  • Mimi Lazo
    Producer
  • Patricia Gonzalez
    Producer
  • Jose Antonio Varela
    Producer
  • David De Lima
    Producer
  • Luis Fernandez
    Producer
  • Jorge Reyes
    Producer
  • Mimi Lazo
    Key Cast
    "La Garza (The Heron)/Ana"
  • Fran Berenguer
    Key Cast
    "Jairo/Fernando"
  • Jorge Reyes
    Key Cast
    "Dimas"
  • Caudia Rojas
    Key Cast
    "Selva (Forrest)"
  • Rafael Romero
    Key Cast
    "Santiago"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    El Pez que Fuma
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 44 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 15, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    800,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Spain, Venezuela
  • Country of Filming:
    Venezuela
  • Language:
    Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital (Black Magic)
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Luis Fernandez

Luis Fernández, born in Caracas, Venezuela, is a multifaceted artist whose career bridges architecture, theater, and cinema. He earned his degree in Architecture from Simón Bolívar University in Caracas, completing part of his thesis at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. He later pursued filmmaking at the New York Film Academy, where his passion for storytelling fully took shape.
As an internationally awarded actor, acclaimed theater writer-director, and bestselling author, Fernández has consistently explored bold intersections of art and narrative. During the pandemic, he pioneered an experimental “cine-theater” project—performed on smartphones and broadcast live worldwide via Zoom—that challenged traditional boundaries of performance.
This film marks his debut as a feature director, bringing together a lifetime of artistic exploration into a singular cinematic vision.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This is a deeply personal and autobiographical story. I met my wife during the remake of the iconic Venezuelan film The Smoking Fish. Her past captivated me: back in 1976, she had been part of the original cast, performing the very first nude scene in Venezuelan cinema. For that act of artistic courage, she was marked with the stigma that a male dominated industry inevitably places on women who dare to be pioneers.
In revisiting that story, her personal life became entangled with the fiction we were creating. At its core was a profound personal rupture: her affair with the married director and her romantic relationship with me mirrored the love triangle of the film itself. Life and art reflected one another, blurring the line between performance and reality.
Portraying a strong woman resisting a violent patriarchal environment pushed her to reclaim her own worth—both as an actress and as a woman. Once again, The Smoking Fish transformed her life.
This film is my homage to her—and to all women who rebel against destinies written by men, and who find the courage to rewrite their stories on their own terms.