On Wednesday, May 22nd, the world premiere of Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis animated film "Flow" / “Straume”, included in the official competition "Un Certain Regard" of the 77th Cannes Film Festival, was celebrated with seven minutes of standing ovations. Within hours of its premiere, the screening rights of the film were acquired by one of the most influential US art film distribution conglomerates, which includes Janus Films, Sideshow and Criterion.
The film's main creative team - director, screenwriter, composer and artist Gints Zilbalodis, producer and screenwriter Matīss Kaža, composer Rihards Zaļupe, 3D artists Mārtiņš Upītis, Konstantīns Višņevskis, Pēteris Tenisons, Paula Bobrova, Kristina Rezviha, Kristaps Blumbergs, production manager Dārta Krāsone - stepped on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet before the premiere. The premiere was also attended by French and Belgian animation professionals, as “Flow” is a co-production of three countries - Latvia, France and Belgium. The premiere was attended by Dita Rietuma, Head of the National Film Centre of Latvia, and Agnese Logina, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Latvia.
"The premiere of “Flow” was really great. I had a great response from the audience and all the scenes in the film worked as I had planned. The sound and picture quality at the Theatre Debussy at Cannes is excellent and made the screening unforgettable. There was a long ovation after the end credits, and it was really emotional. Now that the premiere screening has taken place, I can say that one phase of my life has ended and something completely new is about to begin," says the film's director Gints Zilbalodis.
The feature-length animated film “Flow” tells the story of Cat, an individualist who lives in a colourful world abandoned by humans. When his home is destroyed by a flood, he is forced to seek shelter in a small boat. In order to survive, Cat must learn to get along with various other species of animals - Capybara, Lemur, Bird and a Dog. “Flow” is a poetic and visually spectacular animated film without dialogues.
Animation is a rarity in the context of the official programme of the Cannes Film Festival, and the Latvian audience was very emotional. The premiere screening was accompanied by 7 minutes of standing ovations, and the audience admitted that they both laughed and cried during the film. In addition, a few hours after the premiere, the North American distribution rights for the film were acquired by Janus Films, a prestigious distribution company that has been distributing internationally acclaimed art cinema/art-house in the USA for over 65 years, with a catalogue of well-known European and world art cinema gems by Ingmar Bergman, David Lynch, Federico Fellini, the Coen brothers, Agnès Varda, Michelangelo Antonioni, Francois Truffaut and other renowned filmmakers. To the international press, representatives of Sideshow and Janus Films recognized “Flow” as "one of the most original films seen recently".
"The fact that Janus Films, one of the most prestigious art film distribution companies in the US, has acquired the rights to screen the film proves that “Flow” can be not only an artistic success, but also a commercial success. We are particularly pleased that Janus Films has partnered with the Criterion Collection, a brand popular in Sinophile circles, which highlights the best masterpieces of world cinema and releases Blu-ray and DVD editions specially dedicated to them," says producer Matīss Kaža.
The world premiere of the “Flow” at the Cannes Film Festival was celebrated at several events - a reception at the Latvian Pavilion of the Cannes Film Market, as well as a special celebration on a yacht owned by the film's partners, the French TV platform ARTE. The Cannes Film Festival's Un Certain Regard awards ceremony will take place on Friday, May 24th, when jury president Xavier Dolan will reveal the jury's favourites in several categories, which are still a secret until Friday evening.
Film “Flow” is supported by the National Film Centre of Latvia, State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, Eurimages The French National Centre of Cinema, Arte and Canal+, as well by various regional foundations and support programmes in France and Belgium. The film is produced by Dream Well Studio (Latvia), Sacrebleu Productions (France) and Take Five (Belgium).
The film will have its Latvian premiere in autumn.
Contact information:
Matīss Kaža
producer
matiss@dreamwell.lv