mizugumo monmon ( 水グモもんもん , lit . water spider monmon ) is a fifteen-minute japanese animated short film released on january 3 , 2006 .

it was produced and directed by hayao miyazaki for anime production house studio ghibli .

it can be seen at the ghibli museum in mitaka , tokyo , japan .

it is based in part on " boro , the caterpillar " , a story idea which hayao miyazaki considered working on prior to the start of production on princess mononoke .

the short film 's main character is a diving bell spider who seems to have fallen in love with a water strider .

although she is scared of him at first , the water strider soon gets used to the presence of the spider .

mizugumo monmon

you can watch this cartoon today on your computer . just click below to start viewing
mizugumo monmon
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mon mon the water spider ( japanese title : mizugumo monmon ) approx . 15 minutes written and directed by hayao miyazaki © 2006 studio ghibli
watch mizugumo monmon engli . . .
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monmon is a water spider just trying to survive his daily struggle . one day he meets a water strider and he ends up very interested in her .
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a water spider seems to have fallen in love with a water strider . though she is scared of him at first , the water strider soon gets used to the presence of the spider .
a short film in limited release shown only in the studio ghibli museum in mitaka , japan .
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the short film ' s main character is a water spider who seems to have fallen in love with a water strider . though she is scared of him at first , the water strider soon gets used to the presence of the spider .
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window horses : the poetic persian epiphany of rosie ming is a 2016 canadian animated feature film written and directed by ann marie fleming ( sometimes stylized with the title in parentheses or written as window horses without a subtitle ) , based on fleming 's graphic novel window horses : the poetic epiphany of rosie ming .

funding for the film was raised through an indiegogo campaign , which amassed more than $ 80,000 in 50 days , from 730 contributors in 28 countries .

the film was co-produced by fleming 's stickgirl productions , sandra oh and the national film board of canada .

window horses

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the news of window horses u . s . acquisition was first reported by screen daily .
stay tuned to cartoon brew for an exclusive video profile of window horses director ann marie fleming .
films rarely get more culturally diverse than window horses : the poetic persian epiphany of rosie ming .
satisfying on both an emotional and intellectual level , window horses is an animated film any family can enjoy .
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing window horses near you .
window horses opens march 10 in toronto and vancouver ; march 17 in montreal and march 21 in ottawa .
a still from “window horses . ” ( illustration by kevin langdale / ann marie fleming , sleepy dog films )
window horses is a phenomenal animated drama that proves you don’t need millions of dollars or pixar - like precision .
oh has nieces who are mixed - race , and they are a big motivation for her involvement in “window horses . ”
first pond entertainment has acquired us rights to ann marie fleming’s animation window horses featuring the voices of sandra oh and ellen page .
ann marie fleming ' s window horses ( pictured ) and kevan funk ' s hello destroyer were among the projects to receive awards .
ann marie fleming’s window horses took home the best bc film award and best canadian film as viff named its bc spotlight gala winners .
window horses is a sweet , interesting , thoughtful story about a naive vancouver poet who finds herself invited to a poetry festival in shiraz , iran .
window horses is the first collaboration for oh and fleming , best known for film titles including the french guy and the magical life of long tack sam .
the writing in
window horses
is unaffected and lovely , with each poem animated in a different style to reflect the variety of life on display .
refreshingly devoid of talking animals and anthropomorphic vehicles , ann marie fleming ' s
window horses
is a lovely surprise of a stirringly original animated feature .
like a poem , window horses evolves into a story of love . love for art , love of family , and ultimately ( hopefully ) love of self .
the story of window horses is charming and poignant filled with magical moments . rosie ming represents the east and the west . a child of today !
rosie ( voiced by sandra oh ) and women’s studies professor mehrnaz ( voiced by shohreh aghdashloo ) in a veritable forest of flowers in the animated feature window horses .
a young canadian poet with chinese and persian parents travels to iran to perform at a poetry festival . . watch window horses 2016 online free in hd quality on solarmovie .
this week , the nfb returns to the annecy international animation film festival with the world premiere of the feature film window horses by ann marie fleming , screening in official competition .
ann marie fleming , carl - a . fechner , festivals , hello destroyer , jennifer chiushort , jessica parsons , kevan funk , living with giants , vancouver international film festival , window horses
“window horses” is a story about a girl finding her voice that happens to take place in iran . with the poetry of rumi and hafiz informing the characters , it just made sense .
perhaps “window horses , ” with themes more esoteric than those usually found in pop culture , will inspire its audience to slow down , become a little more contemplative , and just breathe .
rosie ( centre , voiced by sandra oh ) enjoys a toast with her grandmother gloria ( voiced by nancy kwan ) and grandfather stephen ( voiced by eddy ko ) , in a scene from window horses .
oh had met vancouver filmmaker ann marie fleming years before she was offered the role in window horses , making the connection , as she recalls , through mina shum , who had helmed such star - making oh vehicles as double happiness . and she already knew who stick girl was , the primitive , unformed little figure that stands in as rosie amid the lush , multi - artist tapestry of window horses ’ unique visual world .
rosie ming , voiced by sandra oh , and mehrnaz lentin , voiced by shoreh agdashloo , in a scene from “window horses . ” ( illustration by kevin langdale / courtesy of ann marie fleming , sleepy dog films )
window horse joins an extremely diverse and wide open field of oscar contenders in a year with no clear frontrunners .
sandra oh ( voice of rosie ) , shohreh aghdashloo ( voice of womenâs studies professor mehrnaz ) and writer - director - producer ann marie fleming ( left to right ) in toronto during the production of flemingâs animated feature window horses .
vancouver filmmaker ann marie fleming says she’s ‘really unhappy’ about the heightened relevance of her new animated film , window horses , but that she hopes it can be used as a tool in a time ‘when we need kind and gentle voices . ’
directed by ann marie fleming ( “i was a child of holocaust survivors” ) , in “window horses” rosie ming , a young canadian poet travels to iran to perform at a poetry festival . there , she will learn the truth about her father . “horses” is a canadian production crowd - funded through indiegogo . sandra oh and ellen page are part of its voice cast .
thanks for your question and interest in the film . window horses will be screening in vancouver at the vancouver international film festival ( sept . 29 - oct . 14 ) . stay informed about upcoming screenings through this link : urltoken best , carolyne
oh , who will voice the role of rosie ming , with nancy kwan ( the world of suzie wong ) to voice her grandmother , said window horses marks a new beginning after her grey ' s anatomy exit as dr . cristina yang .
many independent animated films in recent years have adopted a hand - drawn and / or collage - heavy aesthetic , but few are quite as heartfelt and charming as ann marie fleming ' s window horses : the poetic persian epiphany of rosie ming .
award - winning director ann marie fleming ( the magical life of long tack sam ) draws from her graphic novel of the same name and revives her avatar , stick girl , in the role of rosie ming . employing a wide - range of animation styles , window horses whisks viewers through histories of iran’s great poets , like rumi and hafez , and across modern political conflicts . together , they reveal certain truths about rosie’s estranged father . window horses is a prescient reminder that art , in this case poetry , transcends borders and cultural divides . window horses is an official selection of the toronto international film festival and canada’s top 10 list , and recipient of the best bc film award and best canadian film award at the vancouver international film festival .
window horses comes out of a combination of her own personal experiences and the stories of others she has collected and imagined along her peripatetic journey through life . fleming is mixed race and calls canada her home , and that has affected everything she does .
ann marie fleming’s first feature - length animation in 12 years , window horses , tells the story of a young woman of persian - chinese descent , living in north vancouver , who gets invited to a poetry contest in the iranian city of shiraz .
ann marie fleming’s “window horses , ” penny lane’s “nuts ! ” and sang - ho yeon’s “seoul station” will screen at 2016’s nine - feature competition of the annecy intl . animation film festival , commonly regarded as the most important animation event in the world .
you like the characters ( yes , even the weird german poet ) in window horses . despite being presented through a cartoon lens , there’s a real care to the interactions , interactions that oh had a big hand — or rather , voice — in cultivating .
a lot of people have been asking me about that . for me , the only guiding force was my heart , really . because of that , then you are willing to dedicate your time and your energy and your effort ,
oh said of boarding window horses .
window horses is a sweet , interesting , thoughtful story about a naive vancouver poet who finds herself invited to a poetry festival in shiraz , iran . the journey is a big one for the young woman whose life so far has been curated by her overprotective , but loving grandparents .
“window horses hits all the things that are important to me : it’s pro - girl , pro - tolerance , pro - diversity and pro - art ! ! my nieces are mixed race and it’s very important to me that they see themselves represented in this society . ” — sandra oh
the rising xenophobia there , and elsewhere , is what makes window horses —a film that showcases the beauty of diversity and the need to listen to each other’s stories—resonate so much now . and a big part of that , oh said , is the cultural richness of the actors behind the scenes .
presents window horses the poetic persian epiphany of rosie ming a film by ann marie fleming ( 89 min . , canada , 2016 ) language : english distribution publicity 1352 dundas st . west toronto , ontario , canada , m6j 1y2 tel : fax : bonne smith star pr tel : fax : mongrelmedia
window horses hits all the things that are important to me : it ' s pro - girl , pro - tolerance , pro - diversity and pro - art ! ! my nieces are mixed race and it ' s very important to me that they see themselves represented in this society .
window horses is a film which is a natural fit in festivals , particularly those which aim to promote cultural diversity and / or women’s voices . theatrical prospects would depend on enthusiastic critical support and word of mouth from audiences . the film could also find an extended life on television and other distribution platforms .
soon , stick girl will be the star of her first animated feature film , “window horses , ” where she’ll play rosie ming , a young , sheltered , mixed - race canadian poet raised by overprotective chinese grandparents . the film follows rosie’s journey to iran , where she’s been invited to perform in a poetry festival .
co - produced by stickgirl productions ( ann marie fleming ) , sandra oh ( who also voices the main character ) and the nfb , window horses is the first feature - length animation from the nfb to be an official selection of the festival since pierre hébert’s la plante humaine ( arcadia films / nfb ) in 1997 .
window horses is about love—love of family , poetry , history , culture . rosie ming , a young canadian poet , is invited to perform at a poetry festival in shiraz , iran , but she’d rather go to paris . she lives at home with her over - protective chinese grandparents and has never been anywhere by herself .
“window horses” is oh’s first time producing a film , and it’s been a steep learning curve for the former “grey’s anatomy” actress who rose to prominence playing dr . cristina yang on the hit abc drama . after she left , she wanted to work with a character who was rich and affirming in the same way cristina was .
she first showed up in short films and webisodes and even an app , but times changed and she grew up into a 20 - something woman named rosie ming at the centre of the new animated feature film window horses ( the poetic persian epiphany of rosie ming ) that gets its theatrical release on march 10 in vancouver and toronto .
oh and canadian director ann marie fleming are collaborating on window horses , with key backing from crowdfunding . the hollywood star is asking fans to contribute $ 130 , 000 to help animate the coming - of - age story about rosie ming , a young canadian poet of chinese - persian heritage who travels to iran to perform at a poetry festival .
ann marie fleming is an award - winning canadian independent filmmaker , writer , and artist . born in japan to chinese and australian parents , fleming creates work that addresses themes of family , identity , history , and memory . her latest project is window horses , a feature - length animated film about a young canadian poet discovering her family history .
first pond entertainment , a distributor of “issue - driven” films depicting marginalized and underrepresented communities , has acquired u . s . rights to the indie canadian feature window horses and will give it an oscar - qualifying run at the laemmle music hall in los angeles starting on september 29 . a limited release in other u . s . cities will follow .
ann marie fleming’s “window horses , ” penny lane’s “nuts ! ” and sang - ho yeon’s “seoul station” will screen at 2016’s nine - feature competition of the annecy intl . animation film festival , commonly regarded as the most important animation event in the world . in potential highlights , guillermo del toro will deliver a masterclass , unveiling unseen footage of “trollhunters” ; aardman animation founders [ … ]
a mixed - race canadian poet travels to a poetry festival in iran and discovers her own voice while opening herself to those of others in the whimsical , animated coming - of - ager “window horses : the poetic persian epiphany of rosie ming . ” tapping a host of fellow animators to create a visually rich tapestry , director - writer - animator ann marie fleming creates an [ … ]
[ … ] counter - balance against all those negatives and a few dozen more too complex or long - winded to list here , this one princely gift : horses volunteer . it defies common sense , but horses ( and dogs ) choose to be with us . i’m skeptical that men domesticated them , i think it happened more like this , ( read here ) . [ … ]
eventually , she called oh to see if she would play rosie . oh and fleming had met way back in vancouver – on dog days ; oh was to play the daughter . when fleming went to germany on the quest that slowly led to window horses , oh went to hollywood , where she landed roles on arli $ $ and then grey ' s anatomy and became a star .
window horses is a feature - length animated film about a young canadian poet who embarks on a whirlwind voyage of discovery—of herself , her family , love , history , and the nature of poetry . the film is filled with poems and histories created by a variety of artists and animators , who set out to blend a vast myriad of differences between cultures , philosophies , arts , and time frames .
this recalls a great line in jim jarmusch’s recent movie paterson : “poetry in translation is like taking a shower with a raincoat on . ” i was also reminded of the film when taylor mali recites his poem “the moon exactly how it is tonight . ” because while the verse in window horses varies wildly in quality , here was one i wanted immediately to print out and hang on my wall .
window horses was written and directed by veteran canadian filmmaker ann marie fleming , who has produced numerous documentaries and short films throughout the years . the film is a quirky and charming multicultural meld , telling the story of rosie , a mixed - race chinese / iranian girl who travels to iran to participate in a poetry festival , while hoping to discover why her iranian father abandoned her as a child .
“window horses” marries the overlapping rites of passage of young adulthood and artistic evolution in rosie , whose growth in visiting iran affects her both personally and creatively . there’s nothing particularly profound in all of this , and the abandoning - father drama plays out fairly conventionally , but “window horses” is smart enough to know that it’s a pretty straightforward , beautiful and informative little film that doesn’t need to take itself too seriously . given that fleming is not from iran , the film’s portrayal of that culture is surprisingly accurate and authentic . and while the initial reactions to rosie’s decision to visit iran run into slightly offensive territory—everyone is aghast at the idea due to some perceived threat—it’s obvious the contrived xenophobia is set up to introduce the loveliness , intellectual vastness and hospitality of an ancient and rich culture many westerners still know too little about .
the style this is a film filled with poetry and stories . while the narrative of the film is presented in one particular style , the poems and histories will be created by different artists , to both accentuate and blend the myriad of differences in cultures , philosophies , time frames and poetry . it is a film about identity and the imagination . window horses poems come to life with multiple beautiful animation styles .
the best bc film award came with a $ 10 , 000 development bursary from the harold greenburg fund and a $ 15 , 000 post - production services credit supplied by encore , while the best canadian film prize came with a $ 10 , 000 award from the directors guild of canada . window horses is co - produced by fleming’s stickgirl productions , actor sandra oh and the nfb’s shirley vercruysse and michael fukushima .
originally , fleming envisioned “window horses” as a tale about the post - wwii german diaspora . influenced by her time spent in an artist colony in stuttgart , germany , reading the poetry of rumi , the 13th century persian poet . her time in stuttgart sparked her interest in the stories of germans who immigrated to north america after world war ii , and the shabby treatment and discrimination they faced because of the war .
in explaining why she took part in the film , sandra oh ( grey’s anatomy ) , who voices the lead character rosie , said , “ window horses hits all the things that are important to me : it’s pro - girl , pro - tolerance , pro - diversity , and pro - art ! my nieces are mixed race and it’s very important to me that they see themselves represented in this society . ”
a big heartfelt thank you to all those who came out on friday and saturday to support our us premiere ! we ' re grateful and moved by your support as we continue to screen the film in los angeles and elsewhere ! window horses continues its us premiere at laemmle music hall until october 5 ! it plays at 2 : 45 pm , 7 : 40 pm and 10 : 00 pm daily . laemmle music hall laemmle theatres
so fleming and oh , longtime friends , set about the business of making “window horses” with an indiegogo campaign which runs through dec . 20 . thanks to a generous benefactor who agreed to match their indiegogo fund , they only needed to raise $ 65 , 000 to meet their goal of $ 130 , 000 . they’ve since surpassed that , and have raised more than $ 75 , 000 via indiegogo for the film . any additional money will be put toward animation costs .
dazzling animation propels window horses : the poetic persian epiphany of rosie ming , a whimsical coming - of - age tale of creative discovery and familial revelations . rosie ming ( sandra oh ) is an aspiring poet who leads an otherwise dull existence in vancouver with her loving and overprotective chinese grandparents ( nancy kwan and eddy ko ) . an unexpected invitation to a poetry festival in shiraz , iran , turns her perception of the world , her poetry and most importantly , her family , on its head .
“life is always complicated in iran , ” explains mehrnaz , a wise female poet ( shohreh aghdashloo ) in “window horses , ” a national film board animated film about a young chinese - persian poet named rosie ( sandra oh ) . she’s invited to a poetry festival in shiraz ; there , she meets a variety of insightful mentors and peers , including mehrnaz , an aloof young german poet ( voiced by don mckellar ) who thinks he’s too cool for school and a melancholic chinese poet in exile .
the stick - girl avatar has been fleming ' s bare - bones extension of her creative self for more than 25 years . fleming ' s past projects include the animated feature documentary the magical life of long tack sam and the shorts blue skies and i was a child of holocaust survivors . window horses is doing well on the festival circuit , making tiff ' s canada ' s top ten and winning the vancouver international film festival ' s best canadian film award . now , it ' s having a theatrical release in canada .
a film by ann marie fleming min 9 s «window horses hits all the things that are important to me : it s pro - girl , pro - tolerance , pro - diversity and pro - art ! ! my nieces are mixed race and it s very important to me that they see themselves represented in this society . » sandra oh synopsis window horses is a feature - length animated film about a young canadian poet who embarks on a whirlwind voyage of discovery of herself , her family , love , history , and the nature of poetry . directed by award - winning filmmaker ann marie fleming , and featuring the voices of sandra oh , don mckellar , nancy kuan , and shohreh aghdashloo , the film is filled with poems and histories created by a variety of artists and animators , who set out to blend a vast myriad of differences between cultures , philosophies , arts , and time frames . twenty - year - old poet rosie ming lives at home with her over - protective chinese grandparents , never having travelled anywhere alone . when she s invited to perform at a poetry festival in shiraz , iran , she meets colourful poets and persians , and finally learns more about the iranian father who she had assumed abandoned her . rosie embarks on an unwitting journey of forgiveness , reconciliation , and understanding , as she discovers her father s past and her own cultural identity . window horses takes a sensitive , subtle , and playful look at building bridges between cultural and generational divides . it s a film about being curious , staying open , and finding your own voice through the magic of poetry . it s a film about identity and the imagination .
window horses has already had a canadian theatrical release through mongrel media , as well as a successful run on the festival circuit , screening at both animation and live - action festivals including annecy , toronto , holland , riverrun , and sydney , among others . it’s also picked up a variety of honors , including best feature at the stuttgart animation festival , audience award at nashville film festival , best canadian screenplay from the vancouver film critics circle , best canadian film at vancouver int’l film festival , and the feature film jury prize at bucheon int’l animation festival .
window horses ( the poetic persian epiphany of rosie ming ) is written , directed and produced by vancouver - based filmmaker ann marie fleming . rosie ming ( sandra oh ) , the mixed - race stick figure , lives with her grandparents in vancouver when she receives a life - changing invitation to read at a poetry festival in iran . cloaked in a chador , rosie steps off the plane and into a world that is new to her , but also in her blood . in shiraz , she learns many life lessons – and truths about her own life .
that’s not really a criticism ; window horses may be a fairly linear story , but there’s no rule that says poetry or drama has to tie itself up in knots . and it’s lovely to watch how fleming finds a way to express verse in animation . it’s not surprising that the film won the best b . c . and canadian feature prizes when it played at the vancouver festival ; nor that the poetic persian epiphany of rosie ming , to breathe out its full title , was named one of the top 10 canadian films of 2016 by the toronto festival group .
“you’ve seen stick girl , right ? ” asked actress sandra oh in a recent interview with the washington post . oh is voicing a stick girl character in the upcoming movie “window horses . ” “stick girl is a circle , and two little slanty eyes ! the celebration of that image , for me , is very powerful . … i feel very aligned with stick girl as a character , not only in the way that she’s drawn , because i used to be a super - skinny girl , and my eyes are like that , but for what she represents . ”
fleming , 54 , originally wrote the script nearly a decade ago , but the film ' s release comes at a time when the story bursts with relevance . window horses had its u . s . premiere at the santa barbara film festival , just days after u . s . president donald trump signed an executive order barring entry into the united states for people from seven predominantly muslim countries , including iran . at the screening , everyone wanted to know how the two iranian - americans who had been involved in the project – and were there to present the film along with fleming and oh – were feeling . their answer : devastated .
sandra oh executive producer korean - canadian actress sandra oh is best known for her work on the american medical drama grey s anatomy , for which she won a golden globe , two screen actors guild awards , and five primetime emmy award nominations . her feature film roles include the widely acclaimed canadian film double happiness ( 1994 ) , directed by mina shum , as well as under the tuscan sun ( 2003 ) and sideways ( 2004 ) . most recently on stage in death and the maiden at the victory gardens theater in chicago , oh is currently voicing the protagonist of ( and co - producing ) window horses , a feature - length animated film about a young canadian poet discovering her family history .
a mixed - race canadian poet travels to a poetry festival in iran and discovers her own voice while opening herself to those of others in the whimsical , animated coming - of - ager “window horses : the poetic persian epiphany of rosie ming . ” tapping a host of fellow animators to create a visually rich tapestry , director - writer - animator ann marie fleming creates an entertaining , educational , and poignant tale about identify and imagination that is filled with stories and poetry . overall , the film provides a counterweight to our xenophobic times , proving that human beings are more alike than unalike and that poetry can be relevant across millennia . mongrel media will give this popular fest selection a theatrical release across canada in march 2017 .
when we first meet rosie ming , a tiny stick figure in ann marie fleming’s animated feature window horses : the poetic persian epiphany of rosie ming , she is a beret - wearing twenty - something francophile who still lives with her overprotective chinese grandparents . but as any youngster at her age , she is getting restless and tired of her quiet and uneventful vancouver life . as an aspiring artist , it comes as no surprise that her severe case of wanderlust is predominantly directed towards paris , a city of artists and poets she romanticizes in her poems . she eventually decides to self - publish her ambitious effort at poetry in a smartly titled book “my eye full – poems of a person who has never been to france” , and…
much like jim jarmusch ’s “paterson , ” “window horses” is a tribute to poetry , especially the deep , rich history of the art form in iran . canadian animation artist / director ann marie fleming uses a full range of opportunities with her quirky animation to tell colorful , whimsical tales from a variety of characters : stories about the great persian poets rumi , hafez and saadi ; personal stories about various politically tumultuous periods in iranian history ; stories about her dad’s complicated life in iran . if this description reminds you of “ persepolis , ” that other animated film about iran , you’re not wrong , because the film’s seamless ability to dovetail into these personal , often melancholic anecdotes is not unlike the ones found in marjane satrapi ’s wonderful film .
the spark for the film goes back 20 years . fleming had been trying to get a film made in vancouver : dog days , a gothic family drama , about a daughter who was able to confront her mother ' s corpse every night with questions she didn ' t dare ask her when she was alive . but the film never got off the ground . fleming was crushed ; her disappointment sent her to germany for an artist ' s residency – something she says she never would have done had the film not fallen through . it was there that she was first introduced to the poetry of rumi – which plays an important role in window horses . back in vancouver , she became involved in the persian community – thanks to a boyfriend – and grew aware of similarities with chinese culture .
veteran indie animator ann marie fleming’s charming window horses follows an aspiring chinese - iranian - canadian poet rosie ming on an amazing trip to a poetry festival in iran , where she begins to discover many things about her family history and herself . travelling alone from her home in vancouver to shiraz , the rather awkward , tentative rosie soon finds herself in the company of renowned persian poets and writers from europe who ask about her iranian roots . while in this heady world of poetry and politics , she uncovers dramatic secrets about the iranian father she thought had abandoned her as a child . what she learns will change her life forever . at once whimsical and serious , personal and geopolitical , this animated marvel features the voices of such canadian international stars as don mckellar , ellen page , and sandra oh .
rosie meets a diverse group of poets from all over the world in shiraz — iran , germany , china — and their unique experiences , perspectives , and anecdotes give rosie the confidence she needs to discover her own cultural identity and creative voice . these beautiful , often melancholic stories form the film’s emotional core , exploring ideas of displacement , loss , and familial love . window horses is a touching tribute to poetry where informative , authentic vignettes about persian history and its deep , rich , ancient tradition of storytelling bridge the gaps between different cultures . in an interview conducted during tiff 16 , where the film made its north american premiere , director fleming and star / producer oh discussed family , identity , and spoke about their shared appreciation for the persian poet hafez , whose work is a traditional form of divination in iran .
window horses ( the poetic persian epiphany of rosie ming ) , now playing at tiff bell lightbox , puts poetry in motion . canadian director / writer / animator ann marie fleming employs the vocal talents of sandra oh , ellen page , don mckellar , and shohreh aghdashloo to craft a coming - of - age story all about finding your identity as an artist . the story centres on the life of rosie ( oh ) , a shy but friendly half - chinese / half - persian girl who likes to write poetry . she’s still figuring out who she is in the world . rosie grew up with her protective chinese grandparents in vancouver and never really got to know her iranian dad after he abandoned the family . but when a surprise invitation to go to shiraz , iran for a poetry festival falls into her lap , the young poet finds herself drawn towards a process of self - discovery .
shirley vercruysse producer shirley vercruysse is the executive producer of the national film board of canada s pacific & yukon centre , based in vancouver , bc , where she leads the team producing documentary and animation projects . the studio s latest projects include the feature - length documentary ninth floor ( mina shum ) and short films debris ( john bolton ) and rock the box ( katherine monk ) . projects currently in production include the feature - length musical documentary the road forward ( marie clements ) , the animated feature film window horses ( ann marie fleming ) , co - produced with stickgirl productions , and the animated shorts i am here ( eoin duffy ) and the mountain of qwawk ( christopher auchter ) . prior to joining the nfb in february 2014 , shirley was an independent film and television producer based in calgary , alberta . her feature credits include waydowntown , a problem with fear , comeback season , radiant city , angels crest , the future is now ! , and fubar ii .
prizes and awards official selection annecy 2016 official selection toronto international film festival 2016 best british columbia film and best canadian film vancouver international film festival 2016 jury prize - feature film bucheon international animation festival 2016 audience award animasyros - international animation festival and forum 2016 centennial best canadian film award reel asian 2016 team & characters ann marie fleming writer / director / producer ann marie fleming is an award - winning canadian independent filmmaker , writer , and artist . born in japan to chinese and australian parents , fleming creates work that addresses themes of family , identity , history , and memory . she adapted her 2003 animated documentary the magical life of long tack sam into an eisner award - winning graphic novel in 2007 , and has followed with a number of acclaimed short films , including i was a child of holocaust survivors ( 2010 ) , big trees ( 2013 ) , and the animated web - series my place ( 2009 ) for discovery usa s planetgreen . com . her latest project is window horses , a feature - length animated film about a young canadian poet discovering her family history .
the stick girl — an austere , pliant animated doppelganger for veteran experimental and graphic arts filmmaker ann marie fleming — goes global in a big way in director fleming’s window horses , a sort of follow - up to her previous feature - length film festival offering , the magical life of long tack sam ( festival 2004 ) . managing a team of nearly twenty film animators for this latest opus , fleming’s first all - animated narrative feature places the stick girl , personified here as rosie ming , in a heady position : a multi - talented waif living in the great northwest with her over - protective maternal grandparents , rosie ( voiced by veteran canadian acting pioneer sandra oh ) self - publishes a book of poetry that she ships off on a whim to a spoken - word festival in shiraz , iran , and subsequently earns a surprise invitation to read her poetry . once there , she meets a colorful menagerie of poets and writers ; a diverse , cosmopolitan community of iranians ; and on a more serious note , finally learns more about the iranian father whom she had assumed abandoned her family .
in the beginning , humans ate horses . some neanderthals still do . about 25 , 000 years passed and one day a human—i personally think it was a woman—heard a voice in her head that she didn’t recognize . it was a deep soft voice , like barry white , only 5 , 956 years too soon . the human looked for the cause of the voice and saw a horse—i personally think it was a white horse . the human was a bit unsettled , so the horse took a deep breath and exhaled , and sure enough , the human mimicked him .
from her very first film festival selection in 1994 , pioneers of x - ray vision ( a film about grandpa ) , director fleming has shown a willingness to explore matters of biracial identity from uniquely formalistic angles , the better to examine , in meditative and puckish ways , her heritage as a chinese australian living and working in multi - ethnic vancouver , british columbia . setting this latest story in shiraz affords her the opportunity to examine that city’s ancient heritage and its ages - old connections to literature , the arts , and cultural antiquity . the story also foregrounds the complicated romance between rosie’s parents and , more telling , the circumstances by which she lives with her grandparents ( nancy kwan and eddy ko ) . voiced by a stellar cast including the likes of oh , kwan , ko , shohreh aghdashloo , omid abtahi , don mckellar , and ellen page , window horses is all - ages programming that really should be seen by everybody ( and anyone ) with a narrow , xenophobic perspective of chinese and iranian culture . above all else , the film gives much - needed voice to the stick girl ; rosie ming , as it turns out , is the little girl who leads us all to enlightenment .
although rosie thinks france is the land of her soul , another country , one where almost everyone is a poet , is destined to claim it , as she discovers when arriving at the international poetry festival in shiraz . on the narrative level , fleming completely nails the overwhelming quality of iranian hospitality that foreigners experience and the great potential for gaffes because of cultural differences . on the visual level , her use of different animation styles and techniques capture iran’s entrancing colors , sounds , and tastes . for instance , as rosie opens the window in her hotel to the resonant sound of the morning call to prayer , little flying carpets of color shoot ecstatically from the minaret .
reel asian , presented by national bank , announced the award winners of juried feature and short film prizes at an awards ceremony and reception hosted at momofuku daisho on november 13 , 2016 .
the menkes audience choice award will be announced after the festival . don’t forget to vote !
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in potential highlights , guillermo del toro will deliver a masterclass , unveiling unseen footage of “trollhunters” ; aardman animation founders peter lord and david sproxton receive the 2016 mifa & variety animation personality of the year award . the festival will also for the first time devote a major focus to france’s animation scene .
an annecy regular , sang - ho yeon , a fantasporto and sitges winner with “saibi” and “dwae - ji - ui wang , ” competes with “seoul station , ” a studio dadashow and finecut south korea production . horror and social realism blend in the tale of a homeless who first shows strange symptoms then unleashes chaos and a zombie outbreak . finecut handles world sales .
also targeting adult auds and produced by u . s . digital media brand cartuna , penny lane’s documentary “ nuts ! ” was a special jury award winner for editing at this year’s sundance festival . “nuts ! turns on a kansas doctor who in 1917 discovered that he could cure impotence by transplanting goat testicles into men . amazon picked up the svod rights in february . submarine entertainment reps international .
otherwise , annecy’s 2016 official selection competition ranges wide geographically , an indication that animated feature production is a building phenomenon over much of the world .
from spain , pedro rivero and alberto vázquez’s “psiconautas , the forgotten children , ” produced by zircozine and basque films , adapts the same - titled comic book about two teenagers escaping from an island devastated by an ecological catastrophe . “psiconautas” spins off vázquez and rivero’s short “birdboy” , in competition at annecy in 2011 .
directed by leanne pooley , whose credits include toronto player “beyond the edge , ” “25 april , ” is produced by new zealand’s matthew metcalfe for general film corporation and sold by k5 intl . “25 april” is an animated docudrama on the tragic world war i battle of gallipoli , where thousands of australians and new zealanders died .
directed by jean - françois pouliot and françois brisson , sundance’s player “snowtime ! ” is a reversion of french - canadian family film classic “the dog who stopped the war . ” produced by canada’s carpediem film & tv inc . , “snowtime ! ” it proved a major quebec hit last year . sola media gmbh handles sales .
“la jeune fille sans mains” ( the girl without hands ) marks the anticipated feature debut of french shorts director sébastien laudenbach ( “des câlins dans les cuisines” ) , inspired by a lesser - known brothers grimm tale and single - handedly made by laudenbach . france’s les films sauvages produces .
a switzerland - france co - production from blue spirit productions , rita productions and gebeka films , in “ my life as a courgette ” is already well - known to annecy , having snagged its work in progress prize last year . world premiering at next month’s directors’ fortnight and a sales hit for paris - based indie sales , it sees producer - director claude barras ( “au pays des têtes” ) make his feature debut with the story of 10 - year - old boy zucchini , who ends up in an orphanage after his mother’s death .
russian animation is repped by maxim volkov’s “sheep and wolves , ” from moscow studio wizart . it kicks off depicting the restful way of life of a flock of sheep , suddenly menaced by a gang of wolves in a magical land of ancient traditions .
the 2016 honorary cristal will be granted to french producer didier brunner , one of the foundes of modern european animation , producing iconic works as michel ocelot’s “kirikou” feature trilogy or “ernest and celestine , ” proving that an audience existed for upscale ambitiously artistic animation . producing films which have been nominated for four academy awards , brunner has teamed with julianne films’ jean - charles ostorero to produce himalayan epic “the summit of the gods . ”
the annecy festival received this year a record number of submissions –almost 2 , 700– , a hundred more than last year’s . in total , 236 animated features made the cut for the official lineup .
the annecy completion jury includes composer bruno coulais , tiphaine de raguenel , france 4’s head of children and producer - writer - director sarah smith ( “arthur christmas” ) .
on the short juries are writer - director brenda chapman , “l’express” culture editor eric libiot , and producer shuzo john shiota .
annecs france spotlight will feature 14 programs and four documentaries capturing france as it is perceived from abroad .
one program , the classics’ classics , curated by giannalberto bendazzi , includes émile cohl’s “fantasmagorie” ( 1908 ) and paul grimault’s “the little soldier” ( 1947 ) ; view from hollywood takes in arthur de pins 2004 “the crab revolution” and michaël dudok’s 1994 “the monk and the fish” ; small screen giants , selected by marcel jean , features serge danot’s “the magic roundabout” ( 1964 ) , jacques rouxel’s “les shadoks” ( 1968 ) , and paul leluc and delphine maury’s “the long long holiday” ( 2015 ) .
sidebar shelley page selection features works from animation schools such as “the mouse’s tale” ( la poudrière , 2007 ) , “windmills , ” ( l’école george méliès , 2011 ) , and “three small stitches” ( gobelins school , l’école de l’image , 2010 ) .
eleven feature play out of competition including mehmet kurtulus and ayse ünal’s “bad cat” ( turkey ) , ayman jamal , khurram h . alavi’s “bilal” ( united arab emirates ) , and enrique gato’s “capture the flag” ( spain ) .
fest will feature a keynote from lord and sproxton , a second one from eamonn butler , director and head of animation at the u . k . ’s cinesite studios . both are moderated by variety’s chief international critic peter debruge . patrice carré from le film français will moderate a third keynote , delivered by french studio ankama ceo anthony roux .
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the world’s largest event devoted to animation , the annecy festival takes place june 13 to 18 , 2016 , and hosts the industry’s leading creators and professionals .
once in iran , she finds herself in the company of poets and persians who tell her stories that force her to confront her past : the iranian father she assumed abandoned her and the nature of poetry itself . the film is about building bridges between cultural and generational divides . it’s about being curious , staying open , and finding your own voice through the magic of poetry .
the film’s voice actors include sandra oh ( rosie ) , ellen page ( kelly , rosie’s best friend ) , don mckellar ( a young poet named dietmar ) , shohreh aghdashloo ( mehrnaz , a professor at the university of tehran ) and nancy kwan ( gloria , rosie’s overprotective grandmother ) .
in october 2014 , stickgirl productions launched an indiegogo campaign to help fund the film . it raised over $ 80 , 000 in 50 days , from 730 contributors in 28 different countries .
while the narrative of the film is presented in one particular style , the poems and histories are created by different artists , to both accentuate and blend the myriad of differences in cultures , philosophies , timeframes and poetry . more than a dozen animators , including kevin langdale , janet perlman , bahram javaheri and jody kramer , worked on the film along with ann marie fleming .
for over 25 years , ann marie fleming has been making award - winning films that deal with family , history , memory and issues of identity . new shoes , blue skies and i was a child of holocaust survivors , and even the dark the french guy , all deal with tough subjects with a light touch .
she adapted her animated feature documentary , the magical life of long tack sam , into the graphic novel of the same name ; it won best book at the doug wright awards for canadian cartooning and was nominated for two eisner awards .
the nfb also has three short films in official competition at annecy : the head vanishes ( papy 3d / nfb / arte france ) by franck dion , blind vaysha ( nfb ) by theodore ushev , and mamie ( folimage / nfb ) by janice nadeau .
squame by nicolas brault ( corps étrangers , 2014 ) , an independent film supported by the nfb’s acic program ( aide au cinéma indépendant – canada ) is in competition at this year’s festival .
, at the nfb , will also be at annecy . lemieux also designed this year’s official festival poster .
when can people in victoria , b . c . watch this film ? will it be shown in cinemas here soon . please let us know as we are really looking forward to seeing her work !
“stories are wondrous things . and they are dangerous , ” says thomas king . king knows a thing or two about storytelling and its cultural clout . born to a cherokee father and greek / german . . .
in this edition of nfb pause , we look at the latest collaboration between alison snowden , david fine , and the nfb - animal behaviour .
this series focuses on different animation styles , explaining technique and showcasing some of our best examples . this week we feature cut - out animation .
the year was 1960 . the place : annecy , a historic town in the french alps , where a group of local cinephiles were mounting the first competitive edition of the annecy international . . .
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kevan funk’s tiff ’16 debutant hello destroyer meanwhile won the bc emerging filmmaker award , while sofia bohdanowicz won the emerging canadian director prize for never eat alone .
the festival’s ignite award , which recognizes female key creatives in b . c . - produced features or short films , went to directors jessica parsons and jennifer chiushort for their work on the short film cabbie . the pair received a $ 20 , 000 cash prize to spend on funding productions or additional training .
elsewhere , living with giants , directed by sebastien rist and aude leroux - lévesque , took home the prize for best canadian documentary and the viff impact award went to power to change—the energy rebellion , directed by carl - a . fechner .