Flee: LGBTQ animated film makes history with three Oscar nominations

Words: Alastair James; pictures: Curzon

The animated documentary feature film, Flee, has received three nominations at this year’s Oscars.

The LGBTQ picture made history as the first film to receive nominations for Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary, and Best International Film. The Danish film was directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen.

The 94th Academy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on Sunday 27 March. 

An official synopsis for the film reads: “Amin Nawabi (a pseudonym), a 36-year-old high-achieving academic, grapples with a painful secret he has kept hidden for 20 years, one that threatens to derail the life he has built for himself and his soon to be husband.

“Recounted mostly through animation to director Jonas Poher Rasmussen, his close friend and high-school classmate, he tells for the first time the story of his extraordinary journey as a child refugee from Afghanistan.

“Through heartfelt interviews between Jonas and Amin, Flee tells an unforgettable story of self-discovery. Showing how only by confronting the past is it possible to carve out a future, and the universal truth that only when you stop fleeing from who you are can you find the true meaning of home.”

Flee won the Grand Jury Prize after premiering at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, and has since picked up a BIFA, and a European Film Award. The filmmakers also have numerous nominations under their belts for forthcoming awards and it has been shortlisted at the 2022 BAFTA Awards for Best Documentary and Best Animated film.

Flee will be available on Curzon Home Video on 11 February 2022. Check out the trailer below:

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