The little Latvian film that could has pulled off a massive upset. Gints Zilbalodis’ “Flow” has won the 2025 Oscar for Animated Feature Film, overcoming massive blockbusters from Pixar and DreamWorks Animation to do so. “Flow,” also nominated in the International Feature Film category, is not only the first Latvian film to earn an Academy Award nomination but the first film to win an Oscar.
REVIEW: “Flow”: An animated triumph of visual storytelling that’s deeply human
A world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, “Flow” follows a particular dark grey cat as a massive flood encroaches on its world. Along the way, the feline makes friends or unintentional allies with a labrador retriever, a capybara, a gigantic whale, and a secretarybird. There is no dialogue in the film outside of animal noises.
“Flow’s” award season began at the 2024 Annecy Film Festival in June, where it took four awards, including the Jury Award for a Feature Film. Nine months later, its coffers include the European Film Awards European Animaed Feature Film Award, the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best International Film, the Cesar Awards for Best Animated Film, and the Golden Globe Award for Animated Feature Film. It was also lauded as the Best Animated Film by over 10 critics groups, including the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the New York Film Critics Circle, and the National Board of Review.
The Sideshow and Janus Films’ acquisition is also an indie box office darling, becoming the highest grossing film for either U.S. distributor, earning $4.2 million domestic and $16.7 million worldwide. Made with a very small production team, “Flow” reportedly cost just $3.7 million.
Every time Zilbalodis lost an award in Los Angeles, he would celebrate with ice cream on his social media. We’re hoping he still celebrates this historic win.
“Flow” is now available to stream on MAX.