A number of films have been nominated for International Film (previously known as Foreign Film) and Documentary Feature, but none have earned nods in those categories and Animated Feature. That is until today when Jonas Poher Rasmussen pulled off that remarkable feet with “Flee.” Denmark’s submission to the Academy Awards is also the first documentary to earn an Animated Feature nomination in the 20 year history of the award.
READ MORE: “Flee” is a stellar exploration of refugee trauma [Review]
The NEON acquisition debuted at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival where it won the World Cinema Documentary Jury prize. It won a slew of Animated and Documentary critics honors from the LA Film Critics Association, National Society of Film Critics and New York Film Critics Circle, among others. It also won the Animated and Documentary Prizes at the Eurpoean Film Awards, took Best Documentary at the Gotham Awards and earned a PGA Award nomination in the Documentary category.
Rasmussen’s documentary centers on Amin Nawabi as he finally recounts his harrowing trek from Afghanistan in the early 90s to Denmark as a refugee. For decades, Amin’s friends thought his family had disappeared or perished. It turns out both he and his family endured a journey that many might find hard to believe. As Amin tells his story, he must come to peace with his past and decide if he will settle down with his longtime Danish boyfriend or “flee” once again to the United States.
“Flee” is not, however, the first film animated film to earn a documentary nomination. That honor goes to “Waltz with Bashir” which took the doc nomination in 2009, but was snubbed in the Animated Feature category. Additionally, over the past three years, “Collective” (2021) and “Honeyland” (2020) earned both Documentary and International Film nominations.
“Flee” is now available on all digital download services.