Dancing Bears

Iwan, an aging bear trainer, lives on the margins of a fading tradition, traveling with Wela,a bear he rescued as a cub and raised like family. When a new law bans bear performances and activists arrive to confiscate the animal, Iwan refuses to give her up. During the attempted seizure Wela escapes and the two flee together on Iwan’s motorcycle. As authorities search for them, their desperate journey becomes both a chase and a reckoning with the past. Memories of how Wela came into his life and the traditions he inherited force Iwan to question what freedom truly means, both for him and for the bear. In the end he must decide whether love means holding on or letting Wela return to the wild world she was born to.

Director’s statement
What fascinates me most in this story is its exploration of freedom. Although rooted in a specific historical context, the film speaks about universal dilemmas and choices that go beyond time and politics. At the center of the story is Mirczew, a rough and chaotic man trying to save the life he has always known while at the same time destroying it. His confrontation with Kosta, a representative of a new, rational order, forms the core dramatic conflict of the film. I want to tell this story without clear moral divisions, embracing its contradictions, tension and dark humor.
Visually, I am drawn to a raw aesthetic inspired by analog techniques, allowing different visual layers to distinguish the journey, memories of Strandzha and Wela’s point of view.