Charades Boards Animated Feature ‘Flow’ from ‘Away’ Director Ahead of Annecy’s WIP Showcase (EXCLUSIVE)
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Charades (“Mirai,” “I Lost My Body”) has acquired “Flow,” a 3D animated feature directed by Gints Zilbalodis, the Annie-nominated filmmaker of “Away”.
Produced by Sacrebleu Productions, Dream Well Studio and Take Five, “Flow” will be presented in the Work-in-Progress section in Annecy.
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Zilbalodis penned the feature with Matiss Kaza at Dream Well Studio and Ron Dyens (“Barking Island”) at Sacrebleu Productions who are acting as co-writers and producers.
“Flow” is currently in production in Marseille, Paris and Bruxelles, with an expected delivery date during the second quarter of 2024.
“Flow” is set in the aftermath of a terrible flood that ravages the world and follows a stubbornly independent cat who is forced to share a boat with a group of other animals. Getting along with them proves to be an even greater challenge than surviving the flood.
Zilbalodis, a Latvian filmmaker and animator, made his feature debut at the age of 24 with “Away.” The movie won the Contrechamp Prize for best feature film at Annecy. “Away” was also selected at over 85 festivals, sold in 18 territories, and earned a nomination at the Annie Awards. Prior to “Away,” Zilbalodis directed seven short films, spanning hand-drawn, 3D animation and live action.
“As a fan of many films that Charades has worked on, I feel that they’re the perfect fit for bringing a unique and personal story like ‘Flow’ to audiences worldwide,” said Zilbalodis.
The animated feature will be released by UFO Distribution. It was produced in association with Arte France, Canal+ and Ciné +, supported by the Latvian Film Center.
“Flow” is an “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,” said Charades.
“We were blown away by Gints first feature film ‘Away,’ which he did alone. Imagining what Flow would be with the support and inspiration brought by a whole team was another reason to believe in Gint’s very unique yet universal story telling,” said Yohann Comte at Charades.
Dyens said, “The same day I saw ‘Away,’ I contacted Gints and suggested we work together. Sacrebleu is honored to be involved in this incredibly spiritual work.”
Kaza said, “This is my first animated project as a co-writer and producer, and working together with Gints in his immersive and poetic style has been an absolute joy. We hope to bring that joy to audiences already next year with the help of our partners in France and Belgium – it will be a transformative and epic audiovisual adventure.”
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