Window Horses
This feature-length animated film centres around the story of Rosie Ming, a young Canadian poet invited to perform at a Poetry Festival in Shiraz, Iran. Rosie lives in Vancouver with her over-protective Chinese grandparents, and has never been anywhere on her own. But once in Iran, she finds herself in the company of poets and Persians, all of whom tell her stories about her past, the Iranian father she had assumed abandoned her, and about the nature of poetry itself. This is a film about love, finding your own path, and learning how to forgive.
This feature-length animated film centres around the story of Rosie Ming, a young Canadian poet invited to perform at a Poetry Festival in Shiraz, Iran. Rosie lives in Vancouver with her over-protective Chinese grandparents, and has never been anywhere on her own. But once in Iran, she finds herself in the company of poets and Persians, all of whom tell her stories about her past, the Iranian father she had assumed abandoned her, and about the nature of poetry itself. This is a film about love, finding your own path, and learning how to forgive.
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writerAnn Marie Fleming
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directorAnn Marie Fleming
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executive producerSandra Oh
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producerAnn Marie FlemingShirley VercruysseMichael Fukushima
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castSandra OhShohreh AghdashlooNancy KwanOmid AbtahiCamyar ChaichianMehdi DarvishEsme FinleyNima GholamipourAzadeh KhatibiEddy KoPeyman MaadiRamin MahjouriDon McKellarTaylor MaliPanta MoslehNavid NegabanAzita SahebjamKristen ThomsonHoushang TouzieJun ZhuEllen Page
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lead designKevin Langdale
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animationKevin LangdaleYounger Yang
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composerTaymaz Saba
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sound designerGordon Durity
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sound supervisorGordon Durity
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editorial teamAnn Marie FlemingIleana PietrobrunoJean-Denis Rouette
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line productionRuth Vincent
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guest animatorIan GodfreyNathaniel Akin
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animation servicesJesse CoteBrad GibsonChloe LiuEben SullivanPrajay MehtaPatrick DufresneJacyntha Cadwell
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guest director-animatorJanet PerlmanSadaf AminiBahram JavaheryDominique DoktorShira AvniMichael MannElissa CheeJody KramerKunal SenLouise JohnsonLillian Chan
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calligraphyYounger Yang
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key frame sequencesJoe Chang
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animation assistantChristine Li
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additional animationNatty BoonmasiriReid BlakelyGemma GoletskiCeile ProwsePyrrha Powilanska-Burnell
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scene set up artistNatty BoonmasiriMona Lisa AliPyrrha Powilanska-Burnell
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photographerLever RukhinAdam Greydon
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production managementDan EmeryAlexis Adams
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animation managementPyrrha Powilanska-BurnellClaire Maxwell
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assistant coordinatorNatty Boonmasiri
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production assistantDevon Ellis-Durity
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associate producerGordon DurityAzadeh KhatibiMehrdad Farbod
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production accountantWendy Jackman
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audit servicesOptis Finance
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technical consultantJordan Acomba
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IT assistancePaul MartinJoe TruesdaleWerner Thomas
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editorial assistantMike SangalangJustin Li
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social mediaMichael Patience
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legal servicesEva SchmiegSuzanne CrossChandler, Fogden, Aldous
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story consultantMichael MacLennan
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poetry consultantMalini MahinJan Walls
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Farsi calligraphySadaf AminiYadollah Kaboli
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Farsi translationMehrdad FarbodTaymaz SabaMaryam Najafi
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Iranian cultural consultantMehrdad FarbodBahram JavaheryMaryam Najafi
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music consultantMashallah MohammedyJamal Salavati Khurdistani
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musicianJamal Salavati KhurdistaniTaymaz SabaSahra AminiAli MahinpourAmir Eslami MirabadiMaryam Soroush NasabMehrdad AbkenariAmmar SedquiMarco Del Rio
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Dastaan songSaeed FarajpouriHossein BehrouziniaAmir MohandesanAnita ZanganehSahra Amini
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voice recording servicesGenevieve VincentCharles ScottGabe KnoxDoug Paterson
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dialogue editorMichael Werth
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foley1010 Audio
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video masteringCinematik Post
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re-recording engineerDoug Paterson
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closed captioningLine 21 Media Services Inc.
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canadian casting directorNeera Garg
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animatic voice workAzita SahebjamTara SahebjamKamyarCamyar ChaichianPeter ChowFarshid Homayoon NasserabadiKelly ConstabarisAli AbbasiWerner ThomasPochu AuyeungWendy DallianMehrdad FarbodAnn Marie FlemingRuth VincentRebeccaTara NazemiMalini MahinZhangsean ZhangKevin LangdaleBanashef Mohseni
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production supervisorJennifer Roworth
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technical edit coordinatorWes Machnikowski
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production coordinatorKathleen Jayme
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centre administratorCarla Jones
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technical directorÉloi Champagne
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technical coordinatorSteve Hallé
An uplifting animated film that’s ideal for classroom discussions, projects, and reflections about poetry, family, identity and multiculturalism. Why do you think the title of the film is Window Horses? What significance do both these words have in relation to themes or ideas explored in the film? Why do you think Rosie is represented as a stick figure? How does her appearance change throughout the film, and what do these changes symbolize? Explain your answer. What do you believe the constant comparisons between Iran and Paris represent, both for Rosie herself, and for the film at large? Consider your own history, family, and culture. How do these separate influences shape who you are? Then, write a poem that reflects what you’ve learned.
More educational content
Window Horses, Ann Marie Fleming, provided by the National Film Board of Canada