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
Bushido
An impeccable samurai (and "Go" expert), Kakunoshin is framed for a crime and forced into exile. Years later he stumbles across the true reason for his fall from grace, and sets about exacting his revenge...
Miles Davis 100! Vince Mai Plays Miles Davis
Vancouver trumpet legend Vince Mai Vince Mai will be performing music from some of Miles Davis's most memorable 1950s albums, including Kind of Blue, Walkin', Relaxin' and more. After his live set, enjoy Stanley Nelson's definitive documentary.
Fiume o Morte!
The Croatian city of Rijeka rediscovers its own past in this delightfully unconventional hybrid documentary about Italian poet and proto-fascist Gabriele D’Annunzio, who seized the city known in Italian as Fiume in 1919.
Silent Friend
In this entrancing reverie from On Body and Soul director Ildikó Enyedi, we are invited to contemplate several human specimens from the vantage point of a mighty Ginkgo biloba tree on the grounds of a German university.
The Other Side of Hope
Khaled, a Syrian (Sherwan Haji), washes up on Finland's glum shores and becomes an unlikely friend to a middle-aged Finnish shirt salesman (Sakari Kuosmanen) in the midst of remaking his life. Compassionate and wryly funny by turns.
