Surprising Oscar Wins: Latvia’s *Flow* and Iran’s *In The Shadow…

Latvia’s *Flow* and Iran’s *In the Shadow of the Cypress* won Oscars, marking significant upsets in the animation categories. *Flow* made history as the first dialogue-less and lowest-budget feature to win Best Animated Feature, while *Cypress* was the first animated short from Iran and the Middle East to receive an Oscar. Both films demonstrate the power of creativity in filmmaking.

The Oscar animation categories experienced stunning surprises this year, showcasing unexpected victories from independent films. Latvia’s Flow, directed by Gints Zilbalodis, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, triumphing over major contenders such as The Wild Robot, Inside Out 2, and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.

Notable achievements of Flow include being:
– The first fully-European produced and funded film to secure the feature animation Oscar.
– The first dialogue-less film to win this category.
– The lowest-budget film, produced for under $4 million, to receive the award.

The animated short category saw another surprise winner with the Iranian film In the Shadow of the Cypress, directed by Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani. This victory challenges the typical campaign strategies employed by filmmakers for Oscar nominations.

Molayemi and Sohani faced significant obstacles, unable to travel from Iran due to strained political relations. Remarkably, they were granted a visa just before the Oscars, arriving in Los Angeles directly from a 25-hour flight. They claimed to be the only nominees ever to reach the awards without any rest or stops.

This win marks a historic milestone as it is the first Oscar for an animated short from Iran and the Middle East. Furthermore, it reflects growing recognition in global cinema as only the second Iranian film to receive a nomination, following Our Uniform from last year.

The Oscars showcased remarkable achievements by independent films this year, with Latvia’s *Flow* and Iran’s *In the Shadow of the Cypress* breaking conventional expectations. Both films emphasize the potential of unique storytelling and artistic vision, illustrating that talent can prevail over larger budgets and extensive campaigning. These wins highlight the importance of diversity in animation and global cinema.

Original Source: www.cartoonbrew.com