Latvia wins first-ever Oscar as Gints Zilbalodis’ flow takes best animated feature

Latvia made history at the Academy Awards last night as director Gints Zilbalodis’ animated film Flow won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. This marks the first time a Latvian film has ever won an Academy Award.

Flow was also nominated for Best International Feature Film, but that award went to Brazil’s I’m Still Here.

Accepting the award, Zilbalodis expressed gratitude to his family, his team, and even his cat and dog. He called for unity, saying, “We are in the same boat, and we have to overcome our differences and find ways to work together.”

He also emphasized the importance of independent animation, adding, “I hope this opens doors for independent animation filmmakers around the world. This is the first time a film from Latvia has ever been nominated, so it really means a lot to us, and we hope to be back soon.”

After receiving the Oscar from presenters Goldie Hawn and Andrew Garfield, Zilbalodis told reporters he was eager to return home. “I miss Latvia very much, and I can’t wait to make my next film,” he said.

Host Conan O’Brien acknowledged Latvia’s historic win with a joke, saying, “Ball is in your court, Estonia.”

In the Best Animated Feature category, Flow triumphed over major Hollywood productions Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot, as well as Australia’s Memoir of a Snail and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.