Latvia has chosen Gints Zilbalodis’ animated film “Flow” as its contender for the Best International Feature category at the 97th Academy Awards. Following its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival, “Flow” also secured four awards at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival.
The North American distribution rights were acquired by Sideshow and Janus Films, which plan to release the film theatrically later this year. At Annecy, “Flow” was honored with the Audience Award, the Jury Award, the Special Prize for Original Music, and the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution. The film is set to be featured at the Toronto Film Festival next month.
“Flow” narrates the story of a brave cat whose home is destroyed by a massive flood. Alongside a capybara, a lemur, a bird, and a dog, the cat navigates a boat across a perilous, waterlogged world in search of dry land, relying on courage, trust, and ingenuity.
Zilbalodis, who co-wrote the film with Matiss Kaza and scored it with Rihards Zalupe, also produced “Flow” with Kaza, Ron Dyens, and Gregory Zalcman. The international sales rights are handled by Charades. Zilbalodis’ previous work, “Away,” won the Contrechamp Award for Best Film at Annecy in 2019.
The Latvian Selection Committee, a group of film industry professionals organized by the National Film Center, made the selection. The Oscars will be held on March 2, with shortlists announced on December 17 and nominations on January 17. The submission deadline for the International Feature Film category is October 2, covering films released from November 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024.
Austria’s entry for the Oscars is “The Devil’s Bath,” a period psychological thriller that competed at the Berlin Film Festival and won the Silver Bear for Best Cinematography, awarded to Martin Gschlacht. Directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, known for “Goodnight Mommy,” the film is set in 1750s rural Austria and follows Agnes, a young woman trapped in a repressive and emotionally barren environment. Her struggle with depression culminates in a shocking act of violence.
The film, distributed in North America and other regions by Shudder, is globally managed by Playtime. It was produced by Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion, in collaboration with Heimatfilm and Coop99 Filmproduktion.