With the award season continuing to ramp up, the Academy Awards have announced their nominations for their 97th ceremony. One of the nominations for Best Animated Feature, Flow, marks a new achievement for its home country of Latvia. 

Directed by Gints Zilbalodis, Flow follows the trip of a small cat who’s content to live on its own. But when a flood upsets his home and all he knows, he has to work together with other misplaced animals to find a new home that they can share.

Flow marks the first time that a Latvian film has made it to the nomination stage of the Academy Awards. Other films have been put up for consideration in the past, but none have made it to nominations. 

Zilbalodis was extremely hands-on with every aspect of Flow, which gained notoriety for both its animation and its complete reliance on visual storytelling. He co-wrote the script with Ron Dyens and Matīss Kaža, while also serving as producer, editor, cinematographer, production designer, and art director, and even composed the score. 

Deadline noted that the nomination for Flow follows several other award wins, such as Annecy Fest in France, which saw it win the audience award. It also took home the Golden Globe for best-animated film.  

Flow was nominated for Best Animated Feature alongside The Wild Robot, Inside Out 2, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, and Memoir Of A Snail.