“Flow,” a wordless animated film about a cat, won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 97th Academy Awards. This marks Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis’ first Oscar win.
Created using Blender, a free, open-source graphics tool, “Flow” offers a dreamy and post-apocalyptic fable. The story follows a black cat, a dog, a capybara, a ring-tailed lemur, and a secretary bird as they struggle to survive a catastrophic flood. The film relies on no dialogue, instead drawing the audience in with the unlikely connections between the animals trying to escape rising waters.
Zilbalodis shared that he believes emotions and ideas can often be more effectively conveyed without words. He expressed that with the use of music, sound, movement, and editing, he could communicate far more than through traditional dialogue. He added that these are the types of films and scenes he enjoys most, as they transcend cultural barriers and are deeply cinematic.
This is only Gints Zilbalodis’ second animated film as a director.
In his acceptance speech, Zilbalodis expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thank you to my mom and dad, and thank you to my cats and dogs. I’m really moved by the warm reception our film has received. I hope this will open doors for independent animation filmmakers around the world.” He also highlighted that this is the first time a Latvian film has been nominated, adding, “It really means a lot to us. We are very inspired and hope to be back soon.”
The film’s victory was widely celebrated in Latvia, which recently issued a special stamp to honor the achievement.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs shared his excitement on X, saying, “This is a great and historic day for Latvia! We’ll all need time to fully grasp what happened, because something big and beautiful just occurred!”
Prime Minister Evika Siliņa also congratulated the filmmakers on X, adding, “The cat continues to capture the hearts of people worldwide!”
Zilbalodis’ surprising Oscar win has been warmly received throughout the awards season. This latest achievement adds to the new director’s growing list of accolades, including a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature and nominations from the Critics Choice Awards, Annie Awards, and British Academy Film Awards.
The success of Flow is shared with producers Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens, and Gregory Zalcman. This Latvian, French, and Belgian co-production was also nominated for Best International Feature, making it the first Latvian film ever nominated at the Academy Awards.
Flow triumphed over other contenders, including The Wild Robot, Inside Out 2 (Disney’s highest-grossing film of the year), and Claymation films Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Memoir of a Snail.
In other Academy Award wins, Iranian filmmakers Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi received their first Oscar for their animated short In the Shadow of the Cypress, marking the second Iranian animated or live-action short film nominated at the Oscars and the first to win.
In the Shadow of the Cypress creatively explores the relationship between a father, a former captain grappling with PTSD, and his daughter.
“It’s a very long story, and it’s not possible to explain everything right now. We are living under sanctions, and our national currency is losing value every day. The economic crisis is the most significant issue,” Molayemi explained.
Sohani mentioned their future plans, saying, “We’ve always been interested in creating a feature-length animated film.”