The Shepherd and the Bear

In the French Pyrenees, an ageing shepherd and his flock face an uncertain future as brown bears are reintroduced to the region.

Tensions are sparked by the reintroduction of brown bears into the French Pyrenees. For local Yves and his tight-knit shepherding community, their traditional way of life is under attack and peaceful coexistence feels impossible. For conservationists, it is a chance to restore the ecological balance. For teenager Cyril, the bears are an obsession.

Max Keegan’s documentary, filmed over two years embedded within the community, offers no easy answers to the debate, but gives a nuanced and breathtakingly filmed portrait of the high emotional and ecological stakes on both sides.