Ann Marie Fleming is an independent Eurasian-Canadian filmmaker, writer, and artist. She has created award-winning work in a variety of genres, and often focuses on the themes of family, history, and memory. “Window Horses (The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming)” is Fleming’s first fictional feature animation. Fleming is being honored at the 2016 Birks Diamond Tribute to the Year’s Women in Film, an event being held during TIFF.
“Window Horses (The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming)” will premiere at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
AMF: “Window Horses” is an animated film about Rosie Ming, a young mixed-race Canadian woman who is invited to an international Poetry Festival in Iran, where she learns the many truths about the father she thought abandoned her as a young child. More than a coming-of-age story, it’s how we can always be open to a bigger story, and that can change how we see the world.
Stylistically, as Rosie’s world expands, her visual world becomes richer. The poetry and history are all illustrated by different animators, showing all the different points of view there are in the world. It’s really beautiful. You will be surprised at how it affects you. Oh, and Rosie is a stickgirl.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
AMF: As an immigrant and mixed-race, I am always interested in origin stories and existential questions: Who are we? Where did we come from? Where are we going? The story comes from my own experiences, imagination, and from all the people I’ve met along the journey.
I was inspired when I was in an international artists residency — the Akademie Schloss Solitude — in Stuttgart, in the ’90s. Yes, there were horses outside my window, and I heard so many different stories from artists from all over the world, especially families torn apart after WWII and other geopolitical changes and upheavals. I was introduced to the poetry of Rumi at this time. I wanted to explore how poetry could bridge differences between generations and cultures.
Years later, back in Vancouver, I learned about the Iranian diaspora, and wanted to talk about the same things, and update the story to the generation after the Islamic Revolution. This film takes place in Iran, but it is about all cultures.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
AMF: I want them to feel something — like their eyes were opened, that they cared about people they didn’t even know, that they were charmed and moved by the magic of poetry. And that they were just a little more curious and less judgmental than when they came in.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
AMF: Representing a culture that is not my own was an intimidating challenge, but the most difficult hurdle was financing. And then making an animated feature on such a small budget. It took many years to get this made, but losing heart or finding talent were my problems.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
AMF: I made a trailer and started an Indiegogo campaign. That seed money and the profile we were able to achieve got Telefilm to come on board, and they had helped with development, too, the National Film Board of Canada came on as co-producers, and Mongrel Media came on as our Canadian distributor. That, Canadian tax credits, and my line of credit got the film made. Having Sandra Oh come on board as the main voice and as an executive producer at the crowdfunding stage was a huge support for the project.
W&H: What does it mean for you to have your film play at TIFF?
AMF: I have had 18 films at TIFF, but not for 11 years! The festival has grown so much in size and stature. So, I am very excited to have “Window Horses” play here!
We are looking for international distribution and hope that this will give the film a great launch into the world for its Canadian run and will gather interest from the rest of the world. This is such a multicultural city, too, so I am eager to see the audience response to my story. And so many actual Indiegogo funders will get to see it in the theater!
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
AMF: Become an accountant.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
AMF: Stick to it. Hone your craft. If you can’t get work in the industry, make your own. Don’t necessarily think that obstacles are because of your gender. It’s all hard. A bit of obliviousness is not unhealthy.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
AMF: I can’t say just one. “Sweetie” by Jane Campion because of its devastating, truthful, and singular voice. I loved “The Hurt Locker” by Kathryn Bigelow, also, for its taut, sensitive storytelling and singleness of vision. I love Wendy Tilby’s “Strings” — it shows how we are all connected. I think of Léa Pool’s “Straight for the Heart” and I cry.
W&H: What are the filmmaking opportunities for women in your country? Have you seen recent improvements? What do you think needs to be done see some significant change?
AMF: Filmmaking is hard. Funding is hard. Lots of women come out of film schools, but not so many make their own films. There seem to be more opportunities in television, but still not so much for [female] directors. In film festivals — though there are more women directors represented — it’s still not a big party.
The focus is on women right now: women in Hollywood, women in animation, women in film and video. Because I am a woman — unless I have inadvertently walked into the wrong locker room — when I walk in a place that is all men, I ask, “Where are the women?” I think we all should be asking that question.
