And the Oscar goes to… the Baltics!
Yes, we've been reporting on Gints Zilbalodis' animation film Flow's (2024) success nearly as often as we cover Baltic Sea security and the melting of Arctic ice, as it kept consistently receiving awards, even a Golden Globe. But now we have to return one last time because there's no higher honour: Flow won Best Animated Feature Film at the Academy Awards, the first Oscar for the Baltics.
Latvia has been so obsessed with the film that it placed its iconic black cat next to the Freedom Monument in Riga, and everybody from the president to me posted selfies with it on social media.
What makes this film so special? Flow beat the odds. It's a great moment for independent cinema. The film had a tiny budget of €3.5 million, while its direct rival, DreamWorks Animation's The Wild Robot (2024), cost €78 million. Yet this Latvian film, created in Blender (a free program) and with zero dialogue, captivated audiences around the world with its stunning visuals and orchestral soundtrack.
On a personal note, my international friends have been congratulating me as if I had won the Oscar. And honestly? For a tiny nation of under two million people, it feels like we did. Sorry, Gints Zilbalodis, but this is our Oscar too.