‘Flow’ Wins Animation Award at Lumières

One of this year’s awards season frontrunner, Gints Zilbalodis’ indie animated feature Flow has captured another prize. The critically acclaimed Latvian contender has been awarded Best Animated Feature at the 30th Lumières.

The Lumières are considered France’s version of the Golden Globes, as the winners are judged by members of the international press based in the country. This year, representatives of 38 countries voted on the category winners, which were announced in Paris on Monday.

Flow was nominated alongside Into the Wonderwoods (directed by Vincent Parannaud and Alexis Ducord); The Most Precious of Cargoes (Michel Hazanavicius); Maya, Give Me a Title (Michel Gondry); and Savages (Claude Barras).

Overall, Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez was the year’s winningest film, winning five awards out of six nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. The streak has set a new record for most wins at the Lumières.

Flow premiered in the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard sidebar last summer before screening at Annecy International Animation Film Festival, where it won four awards. It has picked up numerous other accolades from festivals and critics’ circles since.

So far this awards season, Flow has won the European Film Award and National Board of Review Award for Best Animated Feature. The film is currently nominated for four Annie Awards, two Critics Choice Awards and two BAFTA Film Awards, and is under consideration for Academy Awards nominations for Animated Feature and International Feature (representing Latvia).