Nuisance Bear
A polar bear is forced to navigate a human world of tourists, wildlife officers, and hunters as its ancient migration collides with modern life. When a sacred predator is branded a nuisance, it becomes unclear who truly belongs in this shared landscape.
Editor Jocelyne Chaput scheduled to attend.
This film is generously sponsored by Michael Weidemann.
Tickets
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Friday, May 8, 2026
- Limited Availability
- On Standby
- Matinee
Saturday, May 9, 2026
- Limited Availability
- On Standby
- Matinee
Welcome to Churchill, Manitoba. Human population: 870. Polar bear population: 620. There's a reason it's called the polar bear capital of the world. Tourists flock to the tiny town in the hopes of getting a glimpse of the notorious wildlife, but the Inuit recognize that every bear that reaches an urban center is the result of a shrinking natural habitat. Just as worrying is the impact every human encounter leaves on the animal.
Nuisance Bear follows wildlife managers, Indigenous residents and the bears themselves in an attempt to understand the complex interplay between climate change, conservation, urban development and the scars of Canada's colonial past. Sweeping and immersive wildlife photography gives way to intimate verite moments that reveal the personal nature of the issue for local tribes. Raising questions instead of seeking easy answers, this nuanced documentary explores the ways in which we all lose when civilization and nature coexist without equilibrium.
—Betsy Cass
- Director: Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman
- Country: USA, Canada, United Kingdom
- Year: 2026
- Running Time: 87 min.
- Producer: Michael Code, Teddy Leifer, Will N. Miller
- Cinematographers: Gabriela Osio Vanden & Jack Weisman
- Editors: Andres Landau
- Music: Cristobal Tapia de Veer
- Awards: Sundance Film Festival 2026 (Documentary: U.S. Grand Jury Prize), DC Environmental Film Festival 2026 (William W. Warner Voice of Nature Award)
- Filmography: Debut Feature Film
- Language: Inuktitut, English
- Has Subtitles: Yes
- International Sales: Submarine