Latvia chooses Annecy winner ‘Flow’ for 2025 Oscars International Feature submission

Latvia selects Gints Zilbalodis' animated film Flow for the 2025 Oscars, following its success at Cannes and Annecy.

Latvia has chosen Gints Zilbalodis’ animated film Flow as its entry for the 2025 Oscars in the International Feature Film category. Flow, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and secured four awards at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, will represent Latvia in the prestigious race.

Directed and co-written by Zilbalodis, known for Away, Flow tells the story of a brave cat who, after a devastating flood destroys his home, teams up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird, and a dog. Together, they embark on a perilous journey across a submerged world, relying on their courage and ingenuity to find safety.

The film garnered significant acclaim at Annecy in June, winning the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution, the Audience Award, the Jury Award, and a special prize for its original music, composed by Zilbalodis and Rihards Zalupe. Zilbalodis, Matiss Kaza, Ron Dyens, and Gregory Zalcman produced the film.

Flow is scheduled to appear at the Toronto Film Festival next month. Following its festival circuit, Sideshow and Janus Films, which acquired the film post-Cannes, plan to release it in U.S. theaters later this year.

For consideration in the International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards, films must have been released in their home country between November 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024, for at least seven consecutive days. The deadline for submission is October 2 at 5 p.m. PT, with the Oscars ceremony set for March 2, 2025.