The Paper Bear Film Screening

Following its world premiere at the Florida Film Festival 2025 and its recognition as a finalist in the Trailblazer Category at Jackson Wild—widely considered the “Oscars® of environmental filmmaking— The Paper Bear continues to capture the hearts of viewers and critics alike for its original storytelling and its ability to elevate the natural beauty of Florida’s black bears and the wild landscapes they call home.

The Paper Bear combines live-action wilderness footage with 2D animation to explore Florida’s ecosystems through the eyes of a father and son on a journey to find the Florida black bear. As they travel, stories shared around the campfire transform into animated sequences that offer a unique perspective on the region’s biodiversity.

The film features rare, close-up footage of wild Florida black bears in their natural habitat, captured by Zalace, who spent over two and a half years documenting their behavior in the field. Informative and accessible for all ages, The Paper Bear encourages audiences to connect with nature and better understand the importance of conservation.

In the forests of Florida’s Panhandle, a father brings his tech-obsessed son on a week-long mission to track an elusive black bear. Cut off from his phone, the boy reluctantly turns to his father’s nightly stories, drawn from an old family journal filled with legends, ghost tales, and ancestral secrets. As the two journey deeper into the wilderness, the line between story and reality begins to blur—until a haunting encounter with the bears forces the boy to confront not only the wild around him, but the heritage within him.

Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/mdEEtpi0O_o