Belgian co-produced animation film ‘Flow’ wins Oscar

The Belgian-Latvian co-production Flow, the Cat Who Was No Longer Afraid of Water by Gints Zilbalodis won the Oscar for best animated Film in Hollywood on Sunday night.

A film without dialogue, it’s an odyssey about a cat who overcomes his mistrust to welcome different animals aboard his sailboat. As a post-apocalyptic fable about a motley crew of creatures trying to survive a catastrophic flood, viewers have been mesmerised by their unlikely relationship and attempt to escape the rising waters.

The animation beat fierce competition from other films in the category including The Wild Robot, Inside Out 2, Memoirs of a Snail and Wallace and Gromit: The Palm of Vengeance.

When receiving the coveted statuette at the award ceremony, Zilbalodis expressed his honour that his home country Latvia had received its very first Oscar.

Flow has also already won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Film in the US, and the César for best animated film in France.

The surprise blockbuster has already been winning over audiences since its release earlier this year. It is being screened this week at Brussels’ international animation festival Anima with Zilbalodis in attendance, along with Brussels company Take Five that was involved in its production.

Photo: Flow ©JEF  Le Parc Distribution