# Gints Zilbalodis

Gints Zilbalodis (born April 13, 1994) is a Latvian filmmaker. He is best known for directing the animated features Away (2019) and Flow (2024), for which the latter earned him accolades include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and an Annie Award, with nominations for two British Academy Film Awards, making him and co-producer Matīss Kaža the first Latvians to win an Academy Award.

## Early life

Gints Zilbalodis is the child of a painter mother and a sculptor father. He gained interest in filmmaking as a medium for expressing his thoughts; he stated that he struggles to express his emotions externally. He chose not to attend university as Latvia had no animation schools, instead teaching himself animation, sound design, and musical composition.

## Career

After directing a string of animated short films, Zilbalodis' debut feature, Away, premiered in 2019. Written, directed, and scored by Zilbalodis himself, Away was awarded the Contrechamps prize at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and was nominated for an Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Music in a Feature Production.
Zilbalodis' second feature film, Flow, was selected to screen in the Un Certain Regard portion of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Unlike his past works, Flow marked the first time Zilbalodis collaborated with other staff, with animation co-produced by Sacrebleu Productions of France and Take Five of Belgium. It went on to win numerous awards worldwide, including Best Animated Feature at the 97th Academy Awards and in the same category at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, while receiving nominations for two British Academy Film Awards and the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Due to the success of Flow in Latvia, Zilbalodis was honoured as "Rigan of the Year" in 2024.

## Filmography
### Short films

* Rush (2010)
* Aqua (2012)
* Priorities (2014)
* Followers (2015)
* Inaudible (2015)
* Oasis (2017)

### Feature films

* Away (2019)
* Flow (2024)

## Awards and nominations
### Away

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2019 | Annecy International Animation Film Festival | Contrechamps Award for Best Feature Film | Away | Won |
| 2019 | Latvian Film Prize | Best Animated Feature Film | Away | Won |
| 2019 | Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival | Best Animated Feature | Away | Won |
| 2019 | Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival | Best European Fantastic Feature Film | Away | Nominated |
| 2020 | Annie Awards | Outstanding Music in a Feature Production | Away | Nominated |
| 2020 | Vilnius International Film Festival | New Europe – New Names Competition | Away | Nominated |

### Flow

Selected awards and nominations received for Flow :
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
| 2024 | Cannes Film Festival | Un Certain Regard | Flow | Nominated | |
| 2024 | European Film Awards | Best Animated Feature Film | Flow | Won | |
| 2025 | Academy Awards | Best Animated Feature | Flow | Won | |
| 2025 | Annie Awards | Outstanding Directing in a Feature Production | Flow | Nominated | [15] [16] |
| 2025 | Annie Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Feature Production | Flow | Won | [15] [16] |
| 2025 | BAFTA Awards | Best Animated Film | Flow | Nominated | |
| 2025 | BAFTA Awards | Best Children's & Family Film | Flow | Nominated | |
| 2025 | César Awards | Best Animated Film | Flow | Won | |
| 2025 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Animated Feature Film | Flow | Won | |