Whether FLOW is actually a children’s film or not, no one can tell you. Certainly not Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis. But its status as a phenomenon is abundantly clear, and the film’s success has an impact on the entire European animation industry, and therefore – indirectly – on the children’s film landscape as well. Dita Rietuma, head of the Latvian Film Centre, can only confirm.
Dita Rietuma: “FLOW has a huge impact on European and global independent animation in general. Made on a small €3.5 million budget, it won an Academy Award and is commercially and artistically successful. We might make this distinction too often, but FLOW is the ultimate proof that both are possible. The film speaks on a metaphorical level, uses a modern open source programme like Blender, and makes big numbers in global distribution. Up to this day, the film made more than 40 million box office gross worldwide, and it’s still running. It’s huge on streaming platforms. In Latvia, FLOW became the most popular film since the country’s restoration of independence in 1991.”
But she also speaks out about the national effects. What does an Academy Award actually mean for Latvian people? “It’s huge. The Oscar, the Golden Globe and the European Film Award are on display in the National Museum for a week; thousands of people were going there to see them with their own eyes. Upon their return from Los Angeles, the filmmakers were welcomed like heroes, with a status similar to stars of the national hockey team. This never happened to a Latvian film before. The popularity of Latvian cinema has been going up and down over the years. But now a cultural product has been produced that applies to every possible taste. Director Gints Zilbalodis and producer Matīss Kaža are both brilliant in their own domain.”
Read the complete interview with Dita Rietuma on the website of CEEAnimation.
Copyright Oscar picture: Agnese Zeltiņa