Window Horses also known as, The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming is a 2016 Canadian animated feature film. The film was directed by Ann Marie Fleming, an independent Asian-Canadian filmmaker, writer, and visual artists. The film was originally a graphic novel and was funded through an indiegogo campaign. The film funded more than $80,000 in 50 days, from 730 contributors and 28 countries. The film has a running time of 89 minutes and has received many awards for its animation, style and story.

The film had its world premiere at Annecy International Animated Film Festival in 2016. It made its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival that same year. Window Horses has received the Best BC Film Award and Best Canadian Film Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival. It was also presented with the Human Rights Award at the 2017 RiverRun International Film Festival.

Window Horses Story

Rosie Ming, a young Canadian poet, is invited to perform at a Poetry Festival in Shiraz, Iran. She lives at home with her Chinese grandparents and has been anywhere by herself. She visits Iran and is immersed in their culture. Rosie is confronted by her past, culture, and philosophy of life and tries to find her voice through the magic of poetry.

Window Horses Review

After much anticipation, I was given the chance to see the movie at Cinetopia Film Festival in Detroit, Michigan. I enjoy poetry and philosophy and was intrigued by the reviews from critics. The animation to this film is very beautiful and vivid. So many colors, styles, and calligraphy were used to make this film. The storyline pulls at your heartstrings throughout the entire film. This film can be for children but I think it was intended more for adults. The plot of the film progresses at a good pace and you can relate to the characters. You feel for these characters and see the passion they have for poetry. Many life lessons can be learned from this film and you can watch it more than once and still get a new perspective of the moral of the story. Window Horses discusses the differences in cultures, philosophies, time frames and poetry. It is a film about identity and imagination. I expect this movie to be nominated for an Annie Award and be a contender for the Academy Awards for best animation. I give this movie 4.5 poems out of 5.

Animators / Designers include Kevin Langdale, Ge Younger Yang, Mashallah Mohammedy, Shira Avni, Louise Johnson, Lillian Chan, Jody Kramer, and Bahram Javahari.