Directing

Gints Zilbalodis

Gints Zilbalodis (born in 1994) is a Latvian filmmaker and animator. Born on April 13, 1994, into the family of painter Dace Zēģele and designer Gints Zilbalodis. His fascination with filmmaking began at an early age, watching classic films and making shorts and commercials. In 2014, he graduated from the Janis Rozentāls Riga Art High School with a specialization in multimedia design. In 2015, his short film Priorities ("Prioritātes") won the award for best animated film at the Japan Nature Film Festival, while Oasis ("Oāze", 2017) received the Jury's Special Prize at the "Lielais Kristaps" National Film Festival. After directing several animated short films, Zilbalodis released his debut animated feature film, Away, in 2019, for which he served as the screenwriter, director, and composer. Away received an award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and an Annie Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Music in a Feature Production.