Latvia Submits Animated 'Flow' for Oscar Consideration (Best International Feature)
The second animation feature by the Latvian Gints Zilbalodis, 'Flow' is now officially on its way to the 2025 Academy Awards -but in the Best International Feature race.
The Latvian Selection Committee, a commission of film industry experts established by the National Film Center of Latvia, have announced that the 3D computer-animated film that narrates the story of a group of animals in a small boat (after a terrible world flood) will be the country's own candidate for the 2025 Oscar race.
Of course, the Cannes-premiered film (Un Certain Regard), a co-production between Dream Well (Latvia), Sacrebleu Productions (France), and Take Five (Belgium), can still compete in the Best Animation Feature category as well. There is a precedent of animation features being submitted in a range of different Academy Awards categories before.
Ari Folman's 2008 'Waltz with Bashir' was submitted -and eventually nominated- in the (then called) 'Best Foreign Langage' category. (It failed to get nominated in the mostly Disney/Pixar-dominated Best Animation Feature category).
The more recent 'Flee' by Jonas Puher Rasmussen was also submitted by Denmark -and nominated- in the Best International Feature category. 'Flee' was the first animated film nominated in three categories: Best International Feature, Best Documentary, and Best Animation Feature categories (it lost on all three).
'Flow' by Gints Zilbalodis is the second animation feature submitted by Latvia in the this category. Signe Baumane's 'Rocks in My Pockets' was submitted for the 2015 Academy Awards and the Best International Feature category (but it was not nominated).
As we wrote in our film review, 'Flow' by Gints Zilbalodis is "one of the early, standout animation features of the year". Let the flow begin.
| Related: 'Flow' film review |
The Oscar shortlists will be announced on 17th December 2024, with nominations to follow on 17th January 2025. The 97th Academy Awards will take place on 2 March 2025.
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