“Flow” is about to enter some rarified waters.
The film from Latvian animator Gints Zilbalodis is currently up for two Academy Awards — and it will soon become part of the Criterion Collection, with a deluxe home video edition coming later this year. The movie will hit Max on Friday, with its linear debut on HBO the next day.
“It’s an absolute dream come true to see ‘Flow’ featured in the Criterion Collection alongside the legendary filmmakers I grew up admiring, like Cuarón, Anderson and Scorsese,” Zilbalodis said in a Thursday statement. “I can’t thank Criterion enough for this incredible honor! I’m thrilled to collaborate with them on the ultimate 4K special edition of ‘Flow.’ I have so much great stuff to share. It’s going to be amazing!”
The film follows a group of animals as they try to navigate a post-apocalyptic flood. The movie is notable for its use of over-the-counter, free-to-use software and the fact that there is no dialogue – the animals simply make the noises that animals would make. Beautiful and touching, it has made inroads into the competitive best animated feature landscape, besting much larger projects from Disney (“Moana 2”), DreamWorks Animation (“Kung Fu Panda 4”) and Illumination (“Despicable Me 4”).
“Flow” is currently up for two Oscars – Best Animated Feature and Best International Feature (Latvia). It also won the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature (Independent) and Best Writing for an Animated Feature. Additionally, it took home the Golden Globe, European Film Award, National Board of Review, New York Film Critics Circle and Los Angeles Films Critics Association awards for Best Animated Feature. Besides its Oscar noms, it is currently nominated for the BAFTA for Best Animated Film and Best Children’s and Family Film, the César for Best Animated Film, the ACE Eddie and the Art Directors Guild Award.
According to the official site, since 1984, Criterion “has been dedicated to publishing important classic and contemporary films from around the world in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements. No matter the medium — from LaserDisc to DVD, Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD to streaming — Criterion has maintained its pioneering commitment to presenting each film as its maker would want it seen, in state-of-the-art restorations with special features designed to encourage repeated watching and deepen the viewer’s appreciation of the art of film.”
