Will “Flow” be a breakout for animator Gints Zilbalodis? After his 2019 feature debut “Away” got attention at the Tokyo Film Festival and elsewhere, Zilbalodis’ latest film got the deluxe world premiere treatment in the Cannes Film Festival‘s Un Certain Regard section this year. The result? Unanimous praise, with Zilbalodis’ native Latvia tapping the film as their nominee for the Best International Feature Film at the 97th annual Academy Awards.
But awards are one thing, and a major festival run is another. Over the past four months, “Flow” has had screenings at Annecy International, TIFF, BFI London, and will also be at Busan next month. That’s a sign Zilbalodis has secured a breakout, but what will general audiences think of his latest film? Here’s a first trailer for “Flow” to serve as a preview before the movie opens wide in early December.
“Flow” is an animated tale of survival and friendship, about a cat who escapes a flood that destroys the world living on a boat filled with other animals. Here’s an official synopsis courtesy of Sideshow and Janus Films:
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.
Along with directing “Flow,” Zilbalodis also writes the animated feature with Matiss Kaza. Zilbalodis and Kaza also produce the film with Don Dyens & Gregory Zalcman. Zilbalodis also pens the movie’s original score with Rihards Zalupe.
“Flow” hits select theaters in NYC and LA on November 22 before it opens nationwide on December 5, 2024. Watch a trailer for the film below.
