We are delighted to welcome local director Max Keegan (Fishbourne) for a Q&A following his documentary about an aging shepherd struggling to find a successor as bears prey on his flock.
Set high in the majestic French Pyrenees, we learn of a conflict provoked by the reintroduction of brown bears amid a traditional shepherding community. 63-year-old Yves struggles to find a successor to take over his work whilst a teenage boy becomes obsessed with tracking the bears, recently reintroduced after their disappearance in 2004. Through its breathtaking cinematography and immersive storytelling, ‘The Shepherd and the Bear’ is a modern folktale about tradition, community and humanity’s relationship with a vanishing natural world. Keegan learned to speak French fluently from scratch for the film and spent two years living in the Pyrenees with his subjects. ‘Lyrical, visually and aurally ravishing’ – Screen International. (Some subtitles)
UK/France 2024 Max Keegan 101m