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Living With Wolves film image; wolf walks through the snow

Living With Wolves

Vivre avec les loups

Insights

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Canadian Premiere

With this film, Jean-Michel Bertrand concludes a multi-part project, previous entries of which VIFF has been proud to show. The nature-loving documentarian embeds himself in nature to film and study wolves—their habits, their numbers, and their migratory behaviour. It’s a labour of love for Bertrand, and for all his equanimity he cannot conceal the passion that drives him. Besides the requisite immersion in nature, Living With Wolves features a study of the politics surrounding wolf life in Western Europe—the spirited, even harsh, advocacy for and against the animals.

Farmers, union lobbies, shepherds, and other stakeholders… They all have their own perspectives, and this nuanced conversation is one of the film’s attractions. But nothing can top the views of natural life. Working with four cinematographers, Bertrand conveys the beauty of the lower Alps, and his yen for the environment is infectious. Especially notable are his infrared camera setups, which capture the lupine subjects unaware—and which provide the film’s concluding note of hope.

 

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Media Partner

Community Partner

Director
Featuring

Jean-Michel Bertrand

Credits
Country of Origin

France

Year

2023

Language

In English (dubbed) and French with English subtitles

Film Contact
18+
88 min
Documentary
France TV Distribution

Book Tickets

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Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Jean-Pierre Bailly

Producer

Jean-Pierre Bailly, Stéphane Millière

Screenwriter

Jean-Michel Bertrand

Cinematography

Marie Amiguet, Jean-Michel Bertrand, Bruno Peyronnet, Pierre Sellier

Editor

Laurence Buchmann

Original Music

Armand Amar

Jean-Michel Bertrand headshot; Living With Wolves director

Jean-Michel Bertrand

Jean-Michel Bertrand is a director whose passion for nature has taken him around the world. He embarked on a quest for the golden eagle, producing his award-winning documentary Vertigo of Encounter (2009). His other films include The Valley of the Wolves (2016) and Wolf Walk (2019). Living With Wolves is the final film in his wolf trilogy.

Filmography: Vertigo of Encounter (2009); The Valley of the Wolves (2016); Wolf Walk (2019)

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