The work by Latvian artist-director Gints Zilbalodis, Flow is an apocalyptic vision rendered in the finest traditions of European animation. The film amazed everyone at its premiere in the "Un Certain Regard" program at the Cannes festival, and subsequently it toured dozens of festivals around the world. It has already secured a Golden Globe for Best Feature Animation, four awards at the prestigious Annecy Animation Festival, two BAFTA nominations, a nomination for the esteemed European audience award "LUX," and just days ago it also received two Oscar nominations – in the Best Animated Feature and Best International Film categories.
Flow tells the wondrous journey of a brave cat, a victim of a massive flood. She finds herself aboard a boat that has rescued a dog, a lemur, a capybara, and a bird – and together they set off in search of dry land, striving to survive amid the perils of a water-covered planet. The imagination of the universally acclaimed master of drawn images, Gints Zilbalodis (Away), has given rise to a new, exciting animated tale that serves as a meditation on the fragility of the environment, friendship, and the sense of community. Realized thanks to ever more advanced technological capabilities, Flow is a true feast for the senses, captivating a wide range of viewers – from very young children to their grandparents.
A brilliant aspect of the film is its complete reliance on visual storytelling – since there are no representatives of homo sapiens in the story, human speech is unnecessary, making the film accessible to audiences of all ages. Zilbalodis’s creative approach first impressed audiences in 2019 when his feature debut Away premiered at the Tokyo festival and won dozens of awards worldwide. The Latvian screenwriter and director is the author of Flow, having developed the screenplay in collaboration with his colleague Matīss Kaža; together they are producing the project in partnership with on Ron Dyens and Gregory Zalcman. The original music for the film was composed by Zilbalodis and Rihards Zalupe.
The film will have its gala premiere in Sofia immediately following the awards ceremony of the 29th Sofia Film Festival in Hall 1 at the National Palace of Culture.
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