On May 20, the animated feature film “Flow” directed by Gints Zilbalodis and winner of the 2025 Oscar for Best Animated Feature was exhibited at “Azerbaijan” CineMastercard as part of an event organized by the Azerbaijan Union of Filmmakers.
As a moderator, the film critic Sevda Sultanova starting the event with an opening remark emphasized: “Films that have recently won an Oscar award are rarely released in theatres in Azerbaijan. These films are frequently screened by certain organizations for audience. We thank to the Azerbaijan Union of Filmmakers for acquiring the rights and making the film available for viewing. Meanwhile, we thank to Ulviyya Ahmadova, a collaborator of the Azerbaijan Union of Filmmakers, one of the organizers shouldering the burden of arranging our film screenings, for conducting persistent negotiations with the film’s producers over three months and achieving the successful result. Flow is a film co-produced by Belgium, Latvia and France. The film could be seen as a depiction of a global model and a narrative about “Noah’s Ark”. Naturally, every viewer will have specific attitude. After screening, I will discuss the film together with my colleague Ilgar Guliyev”.
Following the screening, the moderator stated that the Flow has shaped a certain impression about Latvian films on the world scale: The budget of the film Flow is 3 million euro. To date, the film has earned $26 million at the global box office. At the same time, the “Eurimages” support fund has granted financial support amounting to 400,000 euros for its production.
After winning the Oscar, local entrepreneurs’ interest in the Latvian film industry has grown, and international corporations are now intending to invest in Latvian cinema. During the Soviet period, we had a defined notion about Latvian cinema. Globally, this notion took shape after the release of the film Flow. Two particular aspects of the film mostly drew my attention:
The acoustic solution, sound design, and the animals’ precise plasticity, delicately crafted characters considered for them…”
Animator Orkhan Suleymanov stated that 3D graphics have been developed for almost 20 years: “This film was produced using Blender, one of today’s simplest and most popular tools, but not with a huge professional software tool. The film’s major point is that, using this software, anyone can simply operate at home or in a studio without expending great effort. Other software tools typically require much more financial resources. Flow has proven that the most crucial point is the idea, the creative approach, and the manner in which it is presented. It’s a great achievement to win an Oscar award for this film.”
According to film critic Ilgar Guliyev, the subject matter of the film Flow may be compared to the hearsay –story- Noah’s Ark and ecological disasters as well:
However, above all, this film can be valued as a postmodernist manifesto of our century. This is a versatile screen production. Every subject is covered herein. The most important clue is in film’s name. Today the flow brings us here; it is the flow of information. This bears a metaphoric meaning. Three flows are indicated here: the flow of idea, the flow of information and the flow of time. Regardless of his own will, mankind has plunged into the digital flow. Irrespective of our desire, we are all directing to this flow. Like the living beings portrayed in the film, we move with the flow, witnessing the events, acquainting with new people, and getting information. This has both positive and negative impacts.
Another aspect is that digital anti-utopia is a utopia. Human traces may be found in the film’s early scenes. However we cannot include human beings. Where is a human? This is an anti-utopia. Civilization begins for the search after the collapse of digital system which has taken over our lives. Although it may sound harsh and aggressive, I must say that this work is also a slap in the face of civilization.
Pay attention to the way cataclysm occurs. Everything is destroyed. Everyone dies. Only a few people survive. The survivors help one another. Rescue ones being in danger, show their solidarity. During pandemic, the video footages of outbreaks fighting over bread in shops were shared on social network and soon took over the online agenda. It is not only local reality but also global verity. This is a reflection of how human take over instincts during emergencies. We pose the following question: Is it possible for a human to maintain their identity amidst a cataclysm? Will he be capable to restrain his instincts? Another message of the film indicates selflessness. A gigantic whale, saving a continuously drowning kitten, finally faces with death. But the cat, due to its helplessness, fails to save the whale in return. When rescuing the cat, the whale acted without any hope of reciprocity and expectation.
Viewer Rufat Abdulla stated that four temperaments are depicted in the film: Characters are very successful. The contrast between disparate characters forms a unity.
Film scholar Sedaget Kamal thanks to Azerbaijan Union of Filmmakers for projecting film in the theatre: She also continued her speech: “All the characters represent human characters. This is an allegoric storyline. Lemur was my most favourite character. There were really interesting characters. A secretary bird symbolized a romantic human character. In the final scene, the secretary bird soared into the sky. We are all drops of the ocean. The film is quiet positive, without a trace of aggression.”
The moderator, providing information about film director, expressed that Zilbalodis was born into a family of artists. He has no higher education in this field. He graduated only art school in Riga. He solely made advertising commercials and apprehended to make animation and studied to compose music. Prior to the Flow, he independently produced and made films working with very little funding. His feature debut film “Mysterious island”, which he worked solely, was shot dialogue free. Both feature films refer to the Odyssey-style stories. Protagonists embark on a long journey and successfully overcome the challenges they confronted.”
Animation Director Firangiz Gurbanova emphasized that the film was exquisitely shot: “It leaves a lasting great impression on the viewer and keeps you hooked from start to finish. Factually, the film is considered for adults. To my opinion, the primary concept is that the motifs of chaos, resistance, compassion, benevolence, and the desire to migrate to another location will always be present in human relationships as long as Earth exists. As stated in this film, the bird moves to another place. The human feelings were depicted here as well. These creatures convey and bear all aspects of human life and the world. One of the viewers said that while watching the film, he identified himself with those characters performed in the film: “To my mind, the dog made a mistake by bringing his friends onto the ship, because they actually made things worse by offering assistance. Thank you very much for acquiring the rights and bringing it to Azerbaijan. This film serves as inspiration for those who are interested in animation.
Addressing the audience, Ilgar Guliyev pointed out that the animals in the film are all castaways:
“The bird is driven of its flock aboard the ship, the cat is abandoned, and the lemur is also expelled from its group. These creatures on the ship have been abandoned, left to the mercy of fate. In this context, the focus is predominantly on instinct. Humans are able to direct it. Animals aren’t.”
Animation director Javid Ahadov, during his speech, expressed: “The essential logic is that nature is capable of healing itself—if only we let it. Peripeteia and tragedy occur. For salvation, there is always sacrificed. The whale, in a way, turns to sacrifice. It appears episodically in the film. I think that this might be the intervention of a divine force in the events. This film provides an introspective view, our gaze inward. It is about our relationship to nature and life.”
Unfortunately, a lot of things are beyond our control. Two facts drew my attention. The cat in a leading role reflects ourselves; though we make steps and plans carefully, we are unaware of what will happen next. Life is full of unexpected events, ups and downs. Nothing in this film is certain either. The animals come from different countries nations, and each has a unique story.
One might even call it an admiration of utopia. If a dog and a cat can make a trip on a ship, the major powers – those states possess the power to govern the world – could establish such a life if they so desired
According to one of the viewers, the film emphasizes the importance of having boundaries in compassion.
The moderator, speaking on the acoustic solution, noted that the sound was treated creatively and processed in some way: “The sound was found and used for each character. The capybara is passive and quiet in the film. Its real voice is unsatisfactory—so they opted for the sound of a baby camel instead. Sound of the scene where the whale passes away is actually that of an old, sick tiger. The main goal in the acoustic solution was to reflect how the events resonate within the emotional world of the cat.”
aki.az