Boulder Environmental Nature Outdoors Film Festival 2026: The Shepherd and The Bear

TICKETS
Friday, July 17 at 7:30PM
Followed by a pre-recorded Zoom conversation with director Max Keegan
Set high in the majestic French Pyrenees, THE SHEPHERD AND THE BEAR explores a conflict provoked by the reintroduction of brown bears in the midst of a traditional shepherding community. The film follows an aging shepherd who struggles to find a successor as bears prey on his flock, and a teenage boy who becomes obsessed with tracking the bears. 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.
The film won the Living with Wildlife Award at the 48th International Wildlife Film Festival and played at Margaret Mead Film Festival in the American Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, Big Sky Documentary, Visions du Réel, Full Frame, Sydney Film Festival, Salem Film Fest where it was nominated for the American Cinematography Magazine Award.
–“Lyrical, visually and aurally ravishing” – Screen Daily
–“Unforgettable, visually stunning” – Deadline
–“A richly satisfying reminder of the power of longitudinal verite” – Filmmaker Magazin
–“The look and feel of a fairy tale” – Doc Europe
Directed by Max Keegan
Runtime: 101 mins