How ‘Flow’ turned a $4 million budget into an animated work of art
The filmmakers used open-source software to create an unexpectedly fresh animation style.
Nearly every still of the animated film Flow, directed by Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis, feels like an art piece that could stand on its own. The movie—which centers around a group of animals surviving in a post-apocalyptic, human-less world—combines the edge-of-your-seat feeling of a survival video game with the painterly brushstrokes of an Impressionist artist. And, somehow, it manages to be a tearjerker without any dialogue at all.
Flow made its global debut at the Cannes Film Festival back in May. Since then, it’s raked in a series of awards, including the feature film grand prize at the Ottawa International Animation Festival and the Best Editing and Puerta América prize at the Seville European Film Festival.
Zilbalodis’ first film, Away, was released in 2019 to generally positive reviews—a considerable feat, given that he was the sole animator behind the final product. Flow started similarly, with just Zilbalodis and, his laptop, and a concept, five years ago. Zilbalodis eventually onboarded a limited crew of less than 50 creatives, with an even more limited budget, of around $3.8 million.
Part of the secret behind its low cost, Zilbalodis says, is that the entire project was made on Blender, a free and open-source 3D modeling software that can run on most laptops. Despite the project’s constraints—or perhaps, in part, because of them—Flow feels like a breath of fresh air in an animation landscape that’s increasingly focused on realism.
The filmmakers used open-source software to create an unexpectedly fresh animation style.
Nearly every still of the animated film Flow, directed by Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis, feels like an art piece that could stand on its own. The movie—which centers around a group of animals surviving in a post-apocalyptic, human-less world—combines the edge-of-your-seat feeling of a survival video game with the painterly brushstrokes of an Impressionist artist. And, somehow, it manages to be a tearjerker without any dialogue at all.
Flow made its global debut at the Cannes Film Festival back in May. Since then, it’s raked in a series of awards, including the feature film grand prize at the Ottawa International Animation Festival and the Best Editing and Puerta América prize at the Seville European Film Festival.
Zilbalodis’ first film, Away, was released in 2019 to generally positive reviews—a considerable feat, given that he was the sole animator behind the final product. Flow started similarly, with just Zilbalodis and, his laptop, and a concept, five years ago. Zilbalodis eventually onboarded a limited crew of less than 50 creatives, with an even more limited budget, of around $3.8 million.
Part of the secret behind its low cost, Zilbalodis says, is that the entire project was made on Blender, a free and open-source 3D modeling software that can run on most laptops. Despite the project’s constraints—or perhaps, in part, because of them—Flow feels like a breath of fresh air in an animation landscape that’s increasingly focused on realism.
Here is a clip from the movie:
The Trailer:
It is available on several steaming services. I don't know if there are plans to release it on disc.
This is a movie that can be enjoyed by all ages. Since there is no dialogue, there is no need for subtitles.
Leave a comment: