Churchill, Polar Bear Town
Annabelle Amoros
Documentary | France | 2022 | 38 min
Every year, in northern Canada, polar bears migrate to Hudson Bay to hunt seals. From October to November, while waiting for the ice floe to form, they take up residence in Churchill – population 800. Considered both as nuisance predators and tourist attractions, their presence in the small town illustrates the complexity of our relationship with the natural world.
Annabelle Amoros studied at the École Supérieure d'Arts de Metz, at the École Supérieure de la Photographie d'Arles and then joined Le Fresnoy in 2016. During her studies, she directed several short films, such as La Maison des Lilas (2016), Sur la route (2016), Area 51, Nevada, USA (2017). Her films have been shown in many festivals in France and abroad: IndieLisboa - Lisbon, Visions du Réel - Nyon, the Rencontres internationales Paris/Berlin at the Gaîté Lyrique, as well as in cultural institutions: Centre Pompidou in Paris, Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain in Strasbourg, FRAC Alsace - Sélestat, Musée National de l'Immigration - Paris... In 2018, she spent three months in Churchill (Canada) and in 2020, she captured the rest of her images remotely from France. Currently, her film Churchill, Polar Bear Town is being distributed while Tornades, filmed in 2019 and between May and July 2021, is in post-production. Since 2018, Annabelle Amoros has been collaborating with producer Clarisse Tupin of Paraíso Production, for Churchill, Polar Bear Town, Tornades and most recently Roswell.
