Creative leads on A BEAR NAMED WOJTEK -
(from L-R)
Composer : Normand Roger, Director : Iain Gardner, Art Director : Rachel Bevan-Baker,
Compositor : Will Anderson, Animation Director : Ross Hogg
photo credit: Pako Mera
A BEAR NAMED WOJTEK tells the fantastic journey of an orphaned Syrian brown bear who was adopted by Polish soldiers during World War II, becoming a beacon of hope and an emblem of their fate.
Directed by Iain Gardner, this half hour animated special was co-produced with The Illuminated Film Company and Filmograf. It was shortlisted for the 97th Academy Awards® Best Short Animation, winner of a British Animation Award and nominated for an Annie Award®.
Making of presentation for the animated film A BEAR NAMED WOJTEK
Next screening: Available on SVOD Tenk (Canada) for 60 days from the 23rd May 2025 .
“Iain Gardner frames the narrative as a search for humanity and peace, skillfully and movingly recounting this wartime story. Thematically and aesthetically, he openly acknowledges the influence of Frédéric Back, paying documentary-like attention to traditions. For example, the céilí scene (a traditional Irish and Scottish dance gathering), with its painterly quality, clearly echoes the festive scene depicted in Crac! (1981), while celebrating harmony and the joy of life. To affirm this connection without ambiguity, Gardner invited Normand Roger, Frédéric Back’s longtime composer, to score A Bear Named Wojtek.” - Marco de Blois, Artistic Director, Sommets du cinéma d’animation