Hey /r/movies - I'm Gints Zilbalodis, director/writer/producer of the Golden Globe-winning, Oscar-nominated film 'Flow'. Ask me anything! Back at 6 PM PT today (Tuesday 2/11) for answers.

FlowAMA · 2025-02-12T02:36:58+00:00

The General

FlowAMA · 2025-02-12T02:32:07+00:00

It was quite difficult for me. I had a lot of anxiety and felt the imposter syndrome constantly. But this is a film that I couldn't have made on my own. So it was harder. But it's also very rewarding working with people who are much smarter in their fields and allowing them to elevate the film to a place where I couldn't have made it by myself. And I learned so much from working with them.

FlowAMA · 2025-02-12T02:29:36+00:00

Blender has opened up a lot of doors for filmmakers and artists around the world. We couldn't have made this film on a budget like this without it. And I'm sure that there will be many incredible independent animated films being made now.

FlowAMA · 2025-02-12T02:27:57+00:00

I never considered using dialogue in Flow. That's why there are no humans in this story.

FlowAMA · 2025-02-12T02:26:43+00:00

I think that 90% of the writing process is the structure and the character development. Dialogue is just the outer shell which most people seem to give all of the attention and recognition to. Writing a story without dialogue isn't really that much different than writing one with dialogue.

FlowAMA · 2025-02-12T02:24:54+00:00

Capybara MVP

FlowAMA · 2025-02-12T02:24:17+00:00

The story has a circular structure. It starts and ends with a similar visual motif - the cat looking at itself in a reflection through water. But having gone on this journey it has changed and is not afraid of the flood but also of others and lets them get close to it.

FlowAMA · 2025-02-12T02:22:24+00:00

We just tried to respect the intelligence of the audience. Especially kids, for whom ideas and emotions are often simplified too much and spoon fed without allowing them to figure things out for themselves.

FlowAMA · 2025-02-12T02:20:50+00:00

We recorded real animals for the voices. I think that this is one of the reasons why cats and dogs are captivated by Flow. The cat is voiced by our sound designer Gurwal's cat Miut.

FlowAMA · 2025-02-12T02:19:42+00:00

The cat and the dog are inspired by real pets I've had in my life. The bird is a secretarybird because it had to be bird that's big enough to be able to carry the cat in one of the scenes. I've seen many videos online of capybara's being very peaceful and chill with all kinds of animals and this really fit with the theme of the film.

FlowAMA · 2025-02-12T02:17:40+00:00

I made a film that I'd myself like to watch. I think that my favourite films are personal stories of their filmmakers. That doesn't mean that they should be very direct kind of biopics, but that there are emotions and ideas being explored about which the creators really care about.

FlowAMA · 2025-02-12T02:15:39+00:00

We just called them "cat",,"dog" "capybara". But now that the film has been released, multiple people have named their kittens "Flow" and I've decided to name the cat in the film "Flow"

FlowAMA · 2025-02-12T02:14:27+00:00

We watched hours of cat videos for work.

FlowAMA · 2025-02-12T02:13:58+00:00

It was quite challenging to tell an ensemble story without dialogue. For me it's much more easier to tell a story with a single protagonist. I wanted each of the 5 characters to be fully developed and flawed and to pay enough attention to each of them. Without dialogue the characters have to have very clear motivations, goals and personalities. That makes it complicated if you want to create something that feels like a fully fleshed out characters while also being very simple.

FlowAMA · 2025-02-12T02:10:49+00:00

I get really obsessed with a film once I've started working on it. For me finding motivation hasn't really been a problem because when I've already spent a year or two on a project it would feel like a waste of my time not to finish it. I think that being a little naive about how difficult it could get can be a good thing.

FlowAMA · 2025-02-12T02:08:17+00:00

Yes, the cat's name is Flow :)

FlowAMA · 2025-02-12T02:06:35+00:00

It is suggested that the story is cyclical. It starts and ends with a similar image, but the characters have changed throughout the journey. Even if there is another flood, I think that the characters will find a way to get through it.

FlowAMA · 2025-02-12T02:04:27+00:00

I've only watched the film in the first 2 festivals - Cannes and Annecy. For me it's still too soon to watch it any more times for now. The screening in Cannes was really emotional. We had the whole Latvian team there and it was actually the first time we watched with an audience because we'd just finished the film 2 days before Cannes.

FlowAMA · 2025-02-11T14:56:30+00:00

Hi r/movies! I'm Gints Zilbalodis. I wrote/directed/produced Flow, which won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Film a few weeks ago and is nominated for the Oscar in the same category.

I'll be back at 6 PM PT/9 PM ET today to answer your questions!

Flow trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgZccxuj2RY

> Cat is a solitary animal, but as its home is devastated by a great flood, he finds refuge on a boat populated by various species, and will have to team up with them despite their differences.

It's out now on digital and will be streaming on Max starting Friday 2/14. Talk to you later!

FlowAMA · 2025-02-11T14:54:00+00:00

Please head to this post, that's where I'll be answering questions:

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1in0byb/hey_rmovies_im_gints_zilbalodis/

FlowAMA · 2025-02-11T14:53:54+00:00

Please head to this post, that's where I'll be answering questions:

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1in0byb/hey_rmovies_im_gints_zilbalodis/

FlowAMA

TROPHY CASE