Away is a stunning new animated feature film that opens exclusively in cinemas on August 28, screening in Dublin at the Irish Film Institute, IMC Dun Laoghaire, IMC Santry and Cineworld Dublin.
The fantasy adventure tells the story of a boy, who, accompanied by a little yellow bird, travels across an island on a motorcycle trying to escape a dark spirit and get back home. Along the way he makes a series of connections with different animals, and reflects on the possible ways he ended up on the island.
Part dream, part reality, Away explores our common, universal need to find a connection.
It received the highly regarded Contrechamp Award last year at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, which is the world’s oldest film festival dedicated entirely to animation and considered the top reference for animation.
★★★★★
“Stunning…sumptuously realised animation” FLICKERING MYTH
★★★★★
“What a film” THE MOVIE WAFFLER
This marks a full-length feature debut for twenty-six-year-old Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis and his Dream Well studio, whose distinctive real-time rendering animation technique has been applauded by critics. In his review, Variety’s Peter Debruge wrote, “In live action, even drones can’t achieve the same effect as “Away’s” gravity-defying virtual camera” and Film Inquiry’s Matthew Singleton remarked that “Zilbalodis is an animator to keep your eye on.”
★★★★
“Strong visual storytelling and an excellent score” EMPIRE
Away was beautifully crafted over a period of more than three years, developed from a previous short. The story is told without dialogue over four chapters, allowing the visuals and music to drive the narrative. Zilbalodis’s fascination for filmmaking began at an early age watching classic films and making shorts and commercials. His inspiration for Away includes the works of Japanese writer Haruki Murakami and Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, and classic films ranging from Bicycle Thieves and The General through to the 2004 feature, Motorcycle Diaries and the more recent 2014 feature, It Follows. Musical influences for Zilbalodis, who also composed and recorded the film’s score, include Sigur Rós and Max Richter.
“I am delighted my feature is being shared with cinema audiences, as watching on the big screen is the most immersive way to experience Away.” says filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis.
It is also a film that resonates with family and adult audiences. Gints adds, “People from all ages have responded to it. The characters go through a lot of different conflicts, so it is easy to empathize with them. The main theme of the story is about connecting with people”.
In addition to receiving Annecy’s Contrechamp Award in 2019, Away was awarded Best Feature Film at the Anima Mundi International Film Festival, Best Animated Feature Film at the Latvian National Film Festival and received the Golden Stork Award (Stork d’Or) for Best Animated Feature at the Strasburg European Fantastic Film Festival.
★★★★
“Dreamy, sublime… a breath-taker”
Matthew Leyland, TOTAL FILM
Away is released by Munro Films on August 28. The film is a G Certificate, with a running time of 75 minutes. For further information and cinema tickets, go to www.awayfilm.co.uk
