Award-Winning 'Flow' Secures International Distribution

Fresh from its success success at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival (where it won three awards) Flow has been acquired for global distribution by Charades. Directed by Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis, the film had its world premiere at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard selection.

The film follows up Away, Zilbalodis's debut feature. His first film was produced almost single handedly. This time other animators worked on the film- albeit a much smaller crew than most animated features. The director still fulfilled multiple roles such as co-writer, cinematographer, editor, art directors co-composer and producer.

Flow is set in a world after a terrible flood. It follows a resourceful cat who is forced to share a boat with a group of other animals. Dealing with them proves to be as much of a challenge as surviving the flood.

The film was previously picked up by Janus and Sideshow for US distribution, and has now been sold via Charades to the U.K. (Curzon), Germany (MFA), Italy (Teodora Film Distribuzione), Spain (Filmin), Switzerland (Xenix), Greece (Cinobo), Nordics & Iceland (Njuta Films), Baltics (Kino Pavasaris), Czech Republic, Slovakia (Film Europe), Hungary (Vertigo Média Ltd.), Poland (So Films), Romania (Bad Unicorn), Israel (Lev Cinema), Lebanon & Gulf (Teleview International), Pan Latin America (Cine Canibal), China (BLUE MEDIA TIMES), Hong Kong (Edko Films), Japan (Fine Films, Inc), Philippines (Film Development), Singapore (Lighthouse Film Distribution), South Korea (Pancinema), Taiwan (Light Year Images) and India & Airlines (Pictureworks).

The film was cowritten by Zilbalodis and Matiss Kaza at Dream Well Studio, and Ron Dyens at Sacrebleu Productions also acted as a co-writer and producer. The film was a French/Latvian co-production.

Charades has described Flow as "allegory of the social and political situations we face in these difficult times, through the animals and their misadventures. Individualism and collectivism collide within this band."

The film has also been acquired by Le Parc Distribution for Benelux and UFO for France in October. Release dates for other territories have yet to be announced but the US/UK releases may well be timed to be in time for awards consideration.

You cam get a first look in the clip, below.

[source]