Nuisance Bear has become one of the most honored nonfiction films of the year, beginning with its world premiere in January right up to this very day. At Sundance, the feature directed by Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman won the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Documentary, and on Tuesday it earned a spot on the International Documentary Association’s list of the year’s best documentary films.
In between, Nuisance Bear claimed the James Balog Creative Vision Award at Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride and more than a dozen other awards, as well as racking up five nominations for the Critics Choice Documentary Awards. Not bad for a feature directorial debut.
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Vanden and Weisman shot Nuisance Bear in Churchill, Manitoba, a frigid outpost on the Hudson Bay known as the “polar bear capital of the world.” The imposing ursine creatures spend a significant period in and around Churchill, especially around this time of year when their migratory routes draw them to the bay. Eco-tourists in ever-growing numbers head to the spot to catch a glimpse of the bears in their natural environment — and their not-so natural environment, meaning garbage dumps and other foraging spots.
The filmmakers join the latest edition of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast to discuss their approach to the documentary, which subverts traditional nature films by adopting the bears’ point of view. Weisman and Vanden tell us about the moment they got the closest to a polar bear, which happened after one of the animals was hoisted in a net and relocated well outside of Churchill. They also share what they packed for their voyage into the frozen north.
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It’s a very chilly spot in fall and winter, but love between the directors warmed them as they made the film. The couple share the story of how they got engaged on Main Street in Park City in the middle of Sundance and how wedding bells immediately chimed.
That’s on the new episode of Doc Talk hosted by Oscar winner John Ridley (12 Years a Slave, Shirley), and Matt Carey, Deadline’s senior documentary awards editor. The pod is a production of Deadline and Ridley’s Nō Studios.
Listen to the episode above or on major podcast platforms including Spotify, iHeart and Apple.
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