Bear 71 facts for kids
Bear 71 is a cool online documentary from 2012. It was made by Leanne Allison and Jeremy Mendes. This film is all about a grizzly bear named Bear 71. She lived in Banff National Park in Canada. Scientists put a special collar on her when she was three years old. They watched her whole life using hidden trail cameras in the park. In 2017, Bear 71 was updated. You could then watch it using virtual reality headsets like Google Daydream and Google Cardboard.
About Bear 71
This online documentary follows the life of Bear 71. It helps us understand how humans and animals are connected. It also shows how things like towns, roads, and railways affect wild animals. The documentary has a special map of Banff National Park. You can follow Bear 71's movements on the map. You can also see what other people watching the documentary are doing.
How Bear 71 Was Made
One of the creators, Leanne Allison, found out about thousands of hours of wildlife videos. These videos were taken by hidden trail cameras in Banff National Park. Her husband, Karston Heuer, was a park ranger there. He helped her know about the footage.
Leanne got permission from groups like Parks Canada. She spent many months looking through all the videos. At first, she wanted to make a regular documentary. But Rob McLaughlin from the National Film Board of Canada suggested an interactive project. This meant viewers could be part of the story.
The story for the 20-minute film was written by J.B. MacKinnon. A famous actress, Mia Kirshner, gave her voice to Bear 71. The creators, Leanne Allison and Jeremy Mendes, worked from different places. Leanne was in Canmore, Alberta, and Jeremy was in Vancouver. A company called Jam3 designed the website.
When Bear 71 Was Released
Bear 71 first went live on the National Film Board of Canada website on January 19, 2012. It was also shown as an art display at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. This happened on January 20, 2012. Later, it was shown at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art.
The DOXA Documentary Film Festival also featured Bear 71 in 2012. They had a special show with live music. Musicians like Tim Hecker, Loscil, and Heather McIntosh played along with the film.
Awards for Bear 71
Bear 71 won many awards for being so creative and new.
- In June 2012, Jam3 won a Gold Cyber Lion Award. This was at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. They won for their work on Bear 71.
- Also in June 2012, Bear 71 won the Sheffield Innovation Award. This was at the Sheffield Doc/Fest.
- In December 2012, Bear 71 was named the best non-fiction web series. This award was given at the Digi Awards.
- On January 15, 2013, Bear 71 was chosen as the Site of the Year for 2012. This was by the Favourite Website Awards.
- On April 30, 2013, Bear 71 received a Webby Award for best net art. It was also nominated for other Webby Awards. These included best public service video and best use of interactive video.
