Info in Movie News | The 97th Academy Awards delivered a major surprise in the Best Animated Feature category. The independent animated film Flow took home the Oscar, beating strong contenders like Inside Out 2 (Disney), The Wild Robot (DreamWorks), as well as Memoir of a Snail and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.
This victory is a remarkable achievement for Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis, who managed to take his film from festival screenings to the pinnacle of cinematic recognition. Prior to the Oscars, Flow had already won Golden Globe and Producers Guild of America (PGA) Awards, showing its widespread acclaim.
A Moving Story Told Without Dialogue
Flow is a cinematic art which owes its uniqueness to the imagination of the author and his triumph of a visual style combined with a complete lack of dialog whose aim is to provide viewers with an immersive experience. A cat is the main character in the story, being the main animal that is figuring out the concept of friendship in a post-apocalyptic, flood-scarred world, and it gets to meet other ones such as a dog, a lemur, and a capybara.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film has been described as "a profoundly cinematic experience that stirs intense feelings." The fact that there were no dialogues exposed the whole story and it aroused the viewers' interest in a deeper relationship with the characters which were moving in the sequence of events.
A Victory That Opens New Doors
Flow not only thrived as an independent project but also made history by becoming the first Latvian film to win an Oscar. Despite its modest budget of $3.7 million, the film demonstrates that exceptional animation isn't solely reserved for big-budget productions.
During his acceptance speech, Zilbalodis delivered a timely message: "We are all in the same boat, and we must find ways to work together."
Later, Zilbalodis spent the time of celebration in a very ordinary way—he published a picture of himself at In-N-Out, having his Oscar as well as a hamburger. This casual scene was exactly what the film director wanted it to be.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Flow’s win highlights the increasing influence of independent animation on the international stage, inspiring other filmmakers to create unique and impactful stories.
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