Last night, FLOW, the visually stunning and emotionally powerful animated feature, was awarded the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 97th Academy Awards, marking Latvia’s first-ever Academy Award and Eurimages’ first Academy Award in this category.

Directed by Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis, FLOW is a poetic and immersive cinematic journey that showcases the power of animation as a storytelling medium. 

Prior to its Oscar win and since its Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024, this co-production between Latvia, France and Belgium received many other prizes, including Best Animated Feature at the Golden Globe Awards and multiple awards at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in addition to the César for Best Animated Film last Friday in Paris. 

The success of FLOW at the Oscars underscores the importance of international co-production support mechanisms like Eurimages in bringing diverse and innovative stories to global audiences.