Nuisance Bear is a 2026 documentary film directed by Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman. It is a feature-length expansion of their 2021 short film.
The film depicts the relationship between polar bears and humans in Churchill, Manitoba and Arviat, Nunavut.
Premise The film takes place in Churchill, Manitoba and Arviat, Nunavut, a small Inuit community located about 150 miles/200km north of Churchill. It documents the migration of polar bears as they move through the town, which is populated by tourists, wildlife officers, and hunters. An Inuit narrator, Mike Tunalaaq Gibbons, recounts how Inuit relate to polar bears, their cultural significance and how sedentary life and climate change are creating challenges for bears and humans alike.
Production The film is directed by Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman. They previously directed the 14-minute short film Nuisance Bear (2021). The short film received an honorable mention for the Best Canadian Short Film award at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival,Steve Pond, "‘Belfast’ Wins Toronto Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award". TheWrap, September 18, 2021. was a nominee for Best Short Documentary at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards, and was named to the shortlist for Best Documentary Short Film at the 95th Academy Awards.
The directors filmed in Churchill and Arviat for the feature-length expansion. The film is produced by Michael Code, Will N. Miller, and Teddy Leifer. The score is composed by Cristobal Tapia de Veer.
Release Nuisance Bear premiered as part of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2026. In May 2026, Mubi acquired worldwide distribution rights to the documentary.
Reception On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 97% approval rating based on reviews from 33 critics. Accolades It premiered in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize Documentary.
The film was a nominee for the DGC Allan King Award for Best Documentary Film at the Directors Guild of Canada awards in 2026.Connie Thiessen, "2026 DGC Awards film nominees led by ‘Ready or Not 2’". Broadcast Dialogue, September 29, 2026.
References
External links Official website