The Latvian Selection Committee, a commission of film industry experts established by the National Film Center of Latvia, have announced that Gints Zilbalodis’ Flow is the country's official entry for the 97th Academy Awards Best International Feature award.
This remarkable animated adventure is written and directed by Gints Zilbalodis (Away), co-written by Matiss Kaza, with a score by Zilbalodis and Rihards Zalupe. Flow is produced by Zilbalodis and Kaza, alongside Ron Dyens and Gregory Zalcman. Sideshow and Janus Films acquired the film out of Cannes and are planning a theatrical release this year.
The film has already received high praise from Guillermo Del Toro following its rapturous reception at Cannes in Un Certain Regard. Flow went on to win four prizes at Annecy in June, including the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution, the Audience Award and the Jury Award, as well as the special prize for best original music, and will screen at the Toronto International Film Festival next month.
A wondrous journey, through realms natural and mystical, Flow follows a courageous cat after his home is devastated by a great flood. Teaming up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird, and a dog to navigate a boat in search of dry land, they must rely on trust, courage, and wits to survive the perils of a newly aquatic planet. From the boundless imagination of the award-winning Gints Zilbalodis (Away) comes a thrilling animated spectacle as well as a profound meditation on the fragility of the environment and the spirit of friendship and community. Steeped in the soaring possibilities of visual storytelling, Flow is a feast for the senses and a treasure for the heart.