Documentary gallops into Year of the Horse

When accomplished producer Sun Shuyun sat down to her family's Spring Festival feast in 2018, she decided to do more than just enjoy the traditional dishes. Curious about the deeper significance of the Chinese zodiac, she turned to her relatives with a simple question: "What does your animal sign truly mean?"

The answers, however, left her underwhelmed. "Most of them just said, 'It symbolizes good fortune and happiness'," she recalls with a hint of disappointment.

Haunted by the desire to uncover more about zodiac animals, a legacy of the millennia-old festival, Sun spent the next five years searching for answers.

After traveling to four continents and capturing the stories of six different horse breeds through seven heartwarming stand-alone tales, the first footage from the documentary Horse Power was screened at the 15th Beijing International Film Festival on April 21.

As one of the world's first zodiac animal documentary films, it is set to premiere on the first day of 2026, the Year of the Horse. It will be released in three formats: an 85-minute version for television and streaming platforms, a 40-minute cut for giant-screen and dome theaters, and a 15-minute edition specifically for children.

"For millennia, horses have been our most important friends and companions. They have even changed the course of history," says Sun.