Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis is best known for his 2019 animated feature debut, Away, and now his award-winning follow-up Flow. His animated works evoke profound emotion through their contemporary storytelling, despite an absence of dialogue when doing so. Flow has rightfully found massive critical acclaim, being nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best International Feature at the 2025 Oscars — after winning the former at this year’s Golden Globes. Moviegoers follow a solitary black cat suffering from the aftermath of a destructive flood. With no home to return to, the silent feline finds refuge on a boat with numerous animals of an extravagant range who must overcome complex barriers to achieve safety.
Those who follow Gints Zilbalodis’ online activity may already be aware of his unconventional style, or at least in comparison to the big-budget animated productions of Illumination, Pixar, and even Sony Animation’s Spider-Verse franchise. Having self-funded a small $3.8 million budget from investors and producers in his home country of Latvia, France, and Belgium, Zilbalodis has advocated for more upcoming animators to harness the free-to-use tools of Blender, the 3D modelling program used to animate Flow.
While a tool like Blender can deliver uniquely stunning animation, as seen in Flow, the painstaking indie filmmaking process is fuelled by relentless passion, immedietley justifying all awards recognition. Remaining humble in his success, Gints Zilbalodis preaches about the accessibility of animation, citing Flow as a motivation for rising animators to take that neccesary leap of faith in their projects.
The Nervous Build-Up to the 2025 Oscar Nominations
In an exclusive interview with DiscussingFilm, Gints Zilbalodis described the moment of becoming an Oscar-nominated director as nothing less than a blur. Releasing a video stroking his dog as the nominations were announced live, he was seemingly unable to contain his nerves, even momentarily breaking away from a stoic look and brandishing a proud yet earnest face. Flow has been praised for delivering a beautifully heartfelt message through the choice of select animated animals, which is relayed in Zilbalodis’ video, showcasing the calming nature of loving furry friends.
Gints Zilbalodis: “Well, it was good to have my dog there because, of course, it’s a very nervous moment. It really was just a blur. I was watching all the announcements, but I wasn’t really paying attention. So, I had to re-watch everything to see what else was nominated. It was quite intense; like the whole day, I couldn’t do anything. I was just pacing around and trying to calm down and get ready for the nominations. Then, it was like my phone exploded, and I’ve been answering all these messages. We celebrated with the team here in Latvia, which was really cool because I hadn’t seen them in a long time.”
The Flowing Emotions Going into the Academy Awards
Despite a fantastic reception, many were surprised to see a low-budget international production like Flow win Best Animated Motion Picture at the 2025 Golden Globes, pipping the box office juggernauts Inside Out 2 and Moana 2. The Oscars race for Best Animated Feature has been stellar, with further competition coming from Aardman’s Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, DreamWorks’ The Wild Robot, and Memoir of a Snail, equally successful projects in their own right.
Although a Golden Globe has already graced his trophy cabinet, Gints Zilbalodis hasn’t eased any nerves approaching the 2025 Academy Awards, which is the grand prize of them all. Zilbalodis has cited the process as a new experience, but one that has helped him seek personal growth in talking about cinema and appreciating the success of his project. Yet, his inner cinephile still yearns to return to the behind-the-scenes work, as his next animated feature willl be the first to feature voice acting work!
Gints Zilbalodis: “I am nervous, of course — I would be lying if I said I’m not. This is something new to me, like this whole publicity tour and giving speeches at shows like the Golden Globes. I read almost 10 million people were watching, at least in the U.S. That’s quite scary for someone who’s used to being behind the scenes. I still would prefer that, honestly. I love the filmmaking process, so these last few months in the public have been a learning experience.
For this entire publicity for Flow, I started doing my first actual interviews. I was very shy and awkward, but I think I’m getting better at this and learning to enjoy it through talking about the film. But the best part of the experience has been meeting these other filmmakers who I really admire. When making movies, you get to control everything, especially in animation, but now I’m kind of like this kite in the wind that’s being taken to all these extraordinary places. I can’t control where I’m going and all these people telling me, ‘You need to be here and there.’ I’m just going where people tell me to go and trying my best.”
Flow is now streaming on Max!
Latvian Title: Straume.
Directed by Gints Zilbalodis.
Written by Gints Zilbalodis & Matīss Kaža.
Produced by Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens, & Gregory Zalcman.
Cinematographer: Gints Zilbalodis.
Composers: Gints Zilbalodis & Rihards Zalupe.
Production Companies: Dream Well Studio, Sacrebleu Productions, & Take Five.
Distributors: Janus Films & Sideshow (U.S.), UFO Distribution (France), & Baltic Content Media (Latvia).
Runtime: 85 minutes.
Rated PG.
