“Flee,” an animated documentary from director Jonas Poher Rasmussen, made history at the Oscars as the first film to be nominated in the documentary, animated, and international feature categories. The Danish documentary about the life of a queer Afghan refugee named Amin has been praised as a unique and important piece of filmmaking throughout awards season, winning the International Documentary Association (IDA) award for Best Feature, the Annie award for Best Animated Independent Feature, and Best Documentary Feature at both the European Film Awards and the Gotham Awards, among other honors.
“Flee” was already a history maker when the Oscar nominations were announced on February 8th, but it has since found itself back in the cultural conversation. Not only was it the most nominated documentary at the Oscars, but Rasmussen and his team attended the ceremony knowing that no other film in contention has found greater relevance or hot-spot headlines since its release—first because of last summer’s U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, now with the humanitarian crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with as many as 10 million refugees seeking safe relocation.
The story of “Flee” focuses on Amin—who as a young boy escaped Afghanistan’s civil war as the mujahideen gained power—his eventful childhood in a war-torn country, then his escape to corrupt-to-the-core Russia, and finally, after several harrowing attempts, to sanctuary in Denmark. The film also explores Amin’s identity as a gay man, which he hid from his family during his long journey.
“I really wish it wouldn’t be as relevant,” Rasmussen told the Washington Post. “Amin is not just Amin. His animated avatar more readily represents every refugee.” The film not only illustrates the terrors of a refugee’s physical flight but also illuminates how such an uprooted youth can break one’s sense of identity—particularly when safe passage depends on deception, even living in denial about the fate of one’s family.
Rasmussen is heartened by the open response to “Flee” at festivals such as Sundance where it won the World Cinema Documentary Competition: “I’ve been approached at screenings around the world where people come to me and say: ‘This is not just his story—this is my story.’”
Here is Rasmussen’s reaction to “Flee” earning three Oscar nominations:
At the 94th Academy Awards, “Flee” lost all of its nominations, losing Best Documentary Feature to “Summer of Soul (Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” Animated Feature Film to “Encanto,” and International Film to “Drive My Car.” However, Rasmussen is not disheartened. As he told The Hollywood Reporter when “Flee” received its three nominations, “Win or lose, everything is a gift now.”
Furthermore, despite not winning anything at the Oscars, Rasmussen is encouraged by the response his film has received, and how some countries have graciously opened their borders to Ukrainian refugees.
“I really hope that this is a change in how we perceive refugees in general,” he told the Washington Post, “not just from Ukraine but also from Afghanistan and Syria and Myanmar and wherever in the world people are forced to flee.”
“Flee” is currently available to stream for free on Hulu with a subscription, or for a fee elsewhere.