“Flow” by Gints Zilbalodis won the notable New York Film Critics Circle award as the best animated film of the year. It is one of the most prestigious film critic awards in the U.S. and is considered an indicator that the film has a high potential to enter the list of nominees for the "Oscars". Meanwhile, Latvian film has been also screened in the U.S. for two weeks with success and excellent resonance of the local press and film criticism.
The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) is the oldest association of film critics in the U.S., its awards are the most significant starting point of the "awards season" and show high recognition for the film's artistic quality in the ratings of highly experienced American film critics. Many years of experience show that the distribution of NYFCC awards quite accurately predicts Oscar nominations and even awards.
Flow / Straume, through art film distributor Sideshow & Janus Films, has been screened in U.S. cinemas for two weeks now, currently in New York and Los Angeles, but as of this Friday, December 6, the film will be in nearly 200 cinemas across the U.S. On the first weekend, Flow reached a spot in the top three of the most popular new films – after the distribution-relevant "average revenue per screen" in the U.S., Stream lagged behind only Hollywood blockbusters Gladiator II and Wicked. Director Gints Zilbalodis and producer Matīss Kaža participated in various film-related events in New York and Los Angeles and met viewers in Q&A sessions moderated by prominent personalities in the U.S. film industry – animation director Chris Wedge (Ice Age), IndieWire's lead critic David Ehrlich and others.
The film's publicity campaign is currently ongoing as the Academy Awards are approaching; the campaign is implemented by the film USA distributor Sideshow & Janus Films in cooperation with producers, supported by the National Film Centre of Latvia, LIAA and other partners. As part of the Oscars campaign, the film has already been watched by many academy members on the U.S. Academy Online's online portal and in-person screenings.
The success of the film in the U.S. is also characterized by widespread recognition from critics. On the portal of cinema reviews Rotten Tomatoes, the film has 97% positive reviews. Callum Marsh, a critic for The New York Times, has given the film the prestigious Critic's Choice label, calling it an "epic adventure" and admits that the film has moved him deeply. New York Public Radio (NPR) critic Bob Mondello calls the film "one of the best animations of recent years." The Los Angeles Times calls the film an "animated triumph," and compares Flow to the finest works of directors Steven Spielberg and James Cameron. Several of the world's best-known films and presses, including IndieWire, RogerEbert.com, The Christian Science Monitor, have given the film Flow the maximum possible rating in terms of stars or points.
The recognition of critics is complemented by awards at various festivals and competitions – in total, film has already won 33 different international awards by the beginning of December. The film is already being shown in cinemas in France, Italy, Sweden, Canada, U.S., Indonesia, Iceland and elsewhere, the total number of viewers worldwide in cinemas has already exceeded 600,000, of which in Latvia – 135,000 viewers (distributor Baltic Content Media).
More information / Matisse Kaža / producer (Latvia) / matiss@dreamwell.lv