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.
Supported by
Media Partner
Community Partner
Jean-Michel Bertrand
France
2023
In English (dubbed) and French with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
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
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)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Peter Asher: Everywhere Man
A chart topping pop star as one half of Peter and Gordon, Peter Asher was brother to Jane, brother in law to Paul McCartney, ran the Beatles' Apple, produced and managed James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, and 10,000 Maniacs, to name just a few. He did it all.
Another World
This hit anime from Hong Kong gives us an unpredictable, sometimes darkly karmic tale taking place on either side of the afterlife involving a headstrong princess with bad karma and the spirit guide who tries to help her get on a better path.
Unforgiven
Bill Munny (Clint Eastwood) is face down in pig shit when we first see him. He's a bad farmer, but has a natural facility for killing people – a vocation to which he returns in a quest that combines both profit and justice. Or so he chooses to believe.
Democracy Under Siege
As the USA turns 250, Oscar-nominated director Laura Nix considers the roots of the current political crisis with commentary from historian Heather Cox Richardson, progressive politician Jamie Raskin, and cartoonist Ann Telnaes, among others.
One False Move
Billy Bob Thornton and his partners in crime (Michael Beach, and Cynda Williams) hightail it out of Los Angeles with a trunk-ful of dope, but drive into a world of trouble. This unjustly forgotten thriller will keep you on your toes.