In a future without humans, a solitary black cat survives a tsunami and finds refuge on a sailboat with a ragtag crew of animals: an excitable Labrador, a drowsy capybara, a materialistic lemur, and a gallant secretary bird. As he navigates a mystical, flooded world with his new companions, the cat must overcome both his fear of water and his wariness of others. Having made a splash at Cannes 2024, this atmospheric animated feature, complete with an orchestral score, provides an enthralling, emotional adventure for all ages.
Grounded with the use of animal sound recordings in lieu of any dialogue, Latvian director Gints Zibalodis’ sophomore feature deploys a dynamic virtual camera and gorgeously rendered environmental detail to bring to life a mysterious post-apocalyptic setting in which only artifacts of humanity’s influence remain. An entertaining allegory about the challenges and virtues of teamwork plays out through Flow’s delightful cast of critters.
The October 6 screening of Flow is a Relaxed Screening. Relaxed Screenings are open to ANYONE who would benefit from a less restrictive and sensory-friendly experience. Learn more about Relaxed Screenings here.
Jury Award, Annecy 2024
One of the most groundbreaking animated films about nature since Bambi.
Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire
Community Partner
Latvia/France/Belgium
2024
No Dialogue
Violence
Open to youth!
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
Matīss Kaža, Gints Zilbalodis, Ron Dyens, Gregory Zalcman
Screenwriter
Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža
ANIM
Léo Silly-Pélissier
Original Music
Gints Zilbalodis, Rihards Zaļupe
Gints Zilbalodis
Gints Zilbalodis is a Latvian filmmaker and animator. After directing a string of animated short films, Zilbalodis’ debut feature, Away (2019), which he made entirely by himself, was awarded the Contrechamp Award at Annecy. Flow is his second animated feature film, having its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Filmography: Away (2019)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Late Fame
Based on a novella by Arthur Schnitzler (Eyes Wide Shut) this is a sly, poignant comedy about vanity and art from director Kent Jones, starring Willem Dafoe as a mailman belatedly acclaimed for a book of poetry he wrote in his youth.
Memory of Princess Mumbi
In 2093, a filmmaker arrives in the African village of Umata, where he meets Princess Mumbi, a woman torn between love, legacy, and the future of storytelling. It's a fabulous genre-blending fable about memory, invention and cinematic resistance.
Lessons of Darkness
Werner Herzog's unforgettable documentary reveals the unfolding disaster of the Kuwaitian oil fields in flames in 1991 as a sweeping inferno of mesmerizing power.
Beau Travail
Inspired by Herman Melville's Billy Budd, Claire Denis' transfixing Beau Travail is set in East Africa. Sgt Galoup (Denis Lavant) reflects on his time in the French Foreign Legion, and the impact of the handsome Sentain (Gregoire Colin).
But I'm a Cheerleader
Megan (Natasha Lyonne) is the perfect All-American Girl, or so she thinks. That is until she’s shipped off to conversion therapy. This pitch black comedy is wrapped in a saccharine bow, featuring the icon herself, RuPaul, as a conversion counsellor.