Bear Country

Fantastic Fungi

August 2019 •English

A vivid journey into the mysterious subterranean world of mycelium and its fruit— the mushroom. A story that begins 3.5 billion years ago, fungi makes the soil that supports life, connecting vast systems of roots from plants and trees all over the planet, like an underground Internet. Through the eyes of renowned mycologist Paul Stamets, professor of forest ecology Suzanne Simard, best selling author Michael Pollan, food naturalist Eugenia Bone and others, we experience the power, beauty and complexity of the fungi kingdom.

Wieviel Fernsehen für Ihr Kind?

January 1981 •German

Short educational film about television

Visions of Europe

May 2004 •English

Twenty-five films from twenty-five European countries by twenty-five European directors.

My Tiger Family

August 2024 •English

In the jungles of north west India, there lives a remarkable wild tiger family. Now, using 50 years of footage, the story of their matriarchal clan is pieced together.

Cars Without a Home

January 1959 •Czech

Jan Schmidt and Pavel Juráček turn their attention to the problem of Czechoslovakia's unloved cars in this whimsical documentary short.

AN 27

July 2015 •French

Bloodsuckers

October 2000 •English

Documentary about creatures that have vampire tendencies, including bloodsucking moths in South America, vampire finches that drink the blood of other birds, and mosquitos.

In Between

February 2019 •Albanian

In rural Kosovo, identical houses are built for family members working abroad, in the hope that they will one day return to settle in their old homeland.

Hiroshima: A Mother's Prayer

March 1990 •Japanese

The horrors of war and the devastating effects of the atomic bomb.

Éloge du chiac

January 1969 •French

Taking the form of a conversation between a young teacher at a French school in Moncton and her students, the film shows how hard it is for francophones to preserve their language in a society where English is everywhere and has been for centuries.

Microcosmos

September 1996 •French

A documentary of insect life in meadows and ponds, using incredible close-ups, slow motion, and time-lapse photography. It includes bees collecting nectar, ladybugs eating mites, snails mating, spiders wrapping their catch, a scarab beetle relentlessly pushing its ball of dung uphill, endless lines of caterpillars, an underwater spider creating an air bubble to live in, and a mosquito hatching.

Forests

May 2022 •French

In a dark, ambiguous environment, minuscule particles drift slowly before the lens. The image focuses to reveal spruce trees and tall pines, while Innu voices tell us the story of this territory, this flooded forest. Muffled percussive sounds gradually become louder, suggesting the presence of a hydroelectric dam. The submerged trees gradually transform into firebrands as whispers bring back the stories of this forest.

The Bear Man

Invalid date •English

A 45 minute account of the life of a humble logger, named Vince Shute, who made one decision that would ultimately affect the black bear and the attitudes that people have of this often misunderstood animal. This short film goes into great detail about the history of The American Bear Association and the formation of the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Turtle Family

January 1988 •English

Whether on land, in fresh water, or in the sea, tortoises, terrapins, and turtles have an advantage. Nature has blessed them with a protective shell that locks out interference and danger.

Chasing the Light: Norfolk Island

April 2022 •English

Chasing the Light: Norfolk Island with Ray Martin is a visual feast, rich in land and sea cinematography and photography by some of the best in the business, while at the same time telling the unique, exotic and often surprising story of one of Australia’s great treasures: Norfolk Island. World famous landscape photographer Ken Duncan chases the light in an odyssey to get the perfect shot on the spectacular island gifted by Queen Victoria to the Pitcairn Islanders, mutineers from the Bounty, their Tahitian wives and their families and descendants. Ken, the master, has his sidekick and protégé Ray Martin along with him and they link up with local photographer and underwater specialist Zach Sanders. Capturing their chase is one of Australia’s most awarded cinematographers Andy Taylor. Andy turns his own lens on the lensmen and Norfolk’s unforgettable scenery, characters, culture, and customs.

The Himalayas

March 2011 •English

The highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayan range is far reaching, spanning thousands of miles, and holds within it an exceptionally diverse ecology. Coniferous and subtropical forests, wetlands, and montane grasslands are as much a part of this world as the inhospitable, frozen mountaintops that tower above. The word Himalaya is Sanskrit for abode of snow, fitting for a stretch of land that houses the world’s largest non polar ice masses. Extensive glacial networks feed Asia's major rivers including the Ganges, Indus, and Brahmaputra. More than a billion people rely on these glacier-fed water sources for drinking water and agriculture. The Himalayas are not only a remarkable expanse of natural beauty. They're also crucial for our survival.

Las medidoras

January 2025 •Spanish

Brian May: The Badgers, the Farmers and Me

August 2024 •English

Following Sir Brian May over a decade-long journey to understand the crisis caused by bovine tuberculosis and his opposition to the controversial badger cull, implemented to curb the spread of the disease in cattle. It’s a story surrounded by controversy, but one little known to many - a tale of tragedy for both humans and animals.

Toronto Jazz

January 1963 •English

Toronto is regarded as the third largest jazz centre in North America. This film features a cross-section of jazz bands of that city: the Lenny Breau Trio, the Don Thompson Quintet and the Alf Jones Quartet. Their styles show creative self-expression, hard work, and improvisation.

Lions of Namibia: The Kings of the Desert

May 2015 •English

On the edge of the Namibian desert, cattle farmers are looking for new land to graze their animals. The lions, who occupied these previously wild spaces, are hunted by herd guards, or even slaughtered when they attack cows. Will and Lianne Steenkamp lived for two years in a territory occupied by a 17-year-old lioness - a "queen" -, her two daughters and their five lion cubs. This film traces the process of empowering the young: after learning to hunt alone, they will have to leave the family pack and find young females to reproduce. A necessity all the greater as their species seems threatened.