A documentary co-produced by Yukon resident Mike Code focusing on a polar bear has clinched a prestigious award at the Sundance Film Festival. The film named “Nuisance Bear” secured the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Documentary competition, as disclosed by the festival on Friday morning. Code expressed his surprise and excitement following the win, stating, “We had no idea this was going to happen. It was like, ‘What?!’ … We were, like, quite enthralled by the award.”
The documentary portrays a fictionalized journey of a lone polar bear facing challenges in the Arctic, particularly human-bear interactions, Code revealed during an interview with CBC’s Midday Cafe on January 20. It delves into the significance of the bear to two distinct communities: Churchill, Manitoba, and Arviat, Nunavut. “It’s not a compare and contrast,” Code emphasized. “But kind of like looking at the nuances of each community and how they deal with the same issue, which is basically bears coming into town.”
Having resided in both Churchill and Arviat during his upbringing and witnessing numerous polar bears, Code shared that his father was a teacher in Arviat and engaged in wildlife cinematography and bear guiding in Churchill. Code met the future directors of “Nuisance Bear,” Jack Wiseman and Gabriela Osio Vanden, at the Hot Docs film festival in 2019. Filming for the project commenced in Churchill in 2023.
Reflecting on the unique filming techniques employed, Code mentioned, “We, like, car-mounted these … cameras with the … equivalent of like 2,400-millimeter lens, which is like ultra-stabilized.” He added, “I think it uses, like, some military technology to keep it perfectly stable even though you’re driving along on a bumpy road. That enabled us to get really tight shots of bears and moving shots and also to be in the safety of a vehicle.”
According to Code, the filmmakers were aware of the exceptional nature of their film as they captured unprecedented footage. Post-win, he shared that viewers at the festival were astounded by the visual appeal and narrative of the film. Sundance serves as a platform for recognizing filmmakers who have produced high-quality work, Code remarked before attending the event, underscoring the opportunity to network with peers and showcase the project.
