Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming (Ann Marie Fleming, 2016):

Viewed by Alicia Huhn at the Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2017.

The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming. A story of Love. A surprising treat, a gem of colorful creative art through animation, poetry and music.  Window Horses is an inspiring film about the way an open mind and following your own heart can lead to beautifully unexpected truth.  Young Rosie makes some exciting life changing moves to follow her heart and the beauty unfolds.  Rosie Ming’s simplistic stick figure character is introduced as a young innocent girl who is a fan of everything Paris, France and Poetry.  She dreams only of going to France some day and secretly writes many poems about France and self publishes her first book, “My Eye-full: Poems by a person who has never been to France”.  The story unfolds in her simple Canadian life as she reveals to her friend, Kelly at the fast food joint and her grandparents her secret talent of writing poems.  They are all equally surprised that she is a poet and has been invited and is going to Shiraz, Iran. Rosie is surprised as well by the idea of going to Iran. Being raised by her Chinese grandparents and having moved several times in life, the only thing she knows only of Iran is her father who ‘abandoned’ her at age 7.  Many themes converge as Rosie sets out to follow her dreams and find her voice at the First International Shiraz Poetry Festival. Bravely, Rosie travels to Shiraz and is swept away by the beauty of the culture and people.  While at the festival, every character in some way points Rosie in the direction of the wisdom of her inner voice and the willingness to hear from others.  She finds that the story of abandonment she has proudly endured does not quite fit.  Several friends and family of her father come forward unexpectedly and are excited to tell young Rosie how proud her father is of her and how honored they are to have known him.  He is a teacher. A kind soul. Through her new friends at the poetry festival and the magic of art and poetry she is lead to a magical new understanding of life and the world as she knows it.  Its about Love, its about taking a chance and being willing to see the world with a beginners mind.  The ability of poetry to touch the heart mixes creatively with a rich inside cultural perspective of Persia from a purely literary standpoint verses an otherwise political angle.  I am delighted to see how this tale of a Chinese-Persian-Canadian-Female-Artist-Voice Finding-Story Telling all in one can speak to many aspects of migration, feminine and multi cultural experiences.  The blend of cultures and varied themes is represented by a varied and talented cast of artist.  The power of film and poetry in one.