A menagerie adrift on a boat must work together to survive a catastrophic flood in this animated wonder arriving from Cannes Un Certain Regard.

In the wake of human extinction and a catastrophic worldwide flood of biblical proportions, a quick-witted black cat makes a life-saving leap onto a drifting ship that’s inhabited by a capybara. They soon pick up a lemur, a stork and a labrador, and encounter a marauding flock of birds. Thrown into an environment in flux, navigating both treacherous floodwaters and dwindling resources, these very different creatures need to find a way to trust one another in order to survive.

To create his feature debut Away, Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis effectively worked as a one-person animation studio: he wrote, directed, animated and composed music for this affecting, visually striking wordless film, which saw him garner acclaim the world over. His follow-up – another striking animated allegory without dialogue – sees Zilbalodis set hand-drawn characters in photorealist landscapes and employ inventive and free-flowing camerawork reminiscent of Terrence Malick. Offering an inspiring corrective to the sickly cute anthropomorphism that pervades mainstream animation and a poignant parable for our climate-catastrophe times, Flow showcases an ascendant master hitting his stride.

“Enchanting … There’s something about the purity of great animated storytelling that can shatter your heart and then make it whole again. Flow is that kind of marvel.” – Hollywood Reporter

———
Director Gints Zilbalodis and producer Matīss Kaža are guests of the festival and will be in attendance at all sessions of the film.

Gints Zilbalodis will also appear at Very Animated: Life in Clay, Ink & CGI on Tuesday 23 August.