Official Selection

Canada 2018
Duration: 11:30
Directed by: Daniel Gies, Neil Christopher
Screenplay: Jose Angutinngurniq, Neil Christopher
Production/School: Emily Paige, Neil Christopher
Dialogue language: Inuktitut

ᓇᓄᕐᓗᒃ / Giant Bear A timeless Inuit legend about a solitary man, a giant bear and their daunting foes: each other. Centered on a confrontation between the last monster bear and an Inuit hunter, Giant Bear is a chilling short that brings an ancient story out of the North. In Giant Bear, we follow a hunter in the depths of starvation. The snow is thick, his dogs are mysteriously dying and food is nowhere to be found. A quest for answers leads him straight to a nanurluk, an iceberg-sized polar bear, setting up a “kill or be killed” battle that pits one man’s wits against a fearsome foe. A co-production between Taqqut Productions (Iqaluit) and e→d films (Montreal) this animated short film follows a lone Inuit hunter as he uses his wisdom, courage, and experience to find and confront his terrifying adversary -- a nanurluk (an iceberg-sized polar bear) in an epic battle for survival. Animated in a painterly, hybrid 2D and 3D style, some of the film was made using real time animation from Unity game engine, via the open source Scene Track plug-in. This traditional Inuit legend explores the power, beauty, and perils of nature through a meticulously handcrafted CG animation lens. The score, by composer Tyler Fitzmaurice in collaboration with singer Beatrice Deer, bassist Michael Felber, synth player Parker Shper, and electronic musician Greg Debicki (Woulg), features traditional northern singing techniques woven into an ethereal soundscape to bring the tundra to life.

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