'Nuisance Bear' Trailer: Polar Bears and Humans Clash in the Frozen North in Oscar-Contending Documentary

Exclusive: Hailed as 'beautifully made and carefully crafted' by Werner Herzog, the film won at Sundance and earned five nominations from the Critics Choice Documentary Awards. On Wednesday, MUBI released the trailer for Nuisance Bear and announced the theatrical release schedule for the documentary directed and shot by Jack Weisman and Gabriela Osio Vanden:

EXCLUSIVE: It's called "beautifully crafted and carefully crafted," praised by Werner Herzog, won an award at Sundance, and was honored with five Critics' Choice Documentary Award nominations.

On Wednesday, MUBI released the trailer for Pesky Bear and announced the theatrical release schedule for the documentary, directed and filmed by Jack Wiseman and Gabriela Osio Vanden: November 6 in Los Angeles and December 4 in New York, Canada and the UK. Watch the exclusive trailer above.

The synopsis reads: “For thousands of years, polar bears have migrated along the shores of Hudson Bay in northern Canada. "Today, that ancient rhythm collides with the world of tourism, surveillance and human control. The Nuisance Bear immerses viewers in the experience of a polar bear forced to navigate tourists, wildlife officers and hunters as climate change delays the glaciation and brings bears closer to human settlements. This common sight." RELATED NEWS 'A LONG WINTER': WATCH THE FIRST TRAILER FOR ANDREW HAIG'S DRAMA STARRING FRED HETCHINGER, EBONY MASS-BACHROCK, CAITRIONNA BALFE AND KATE CONNOR ACQUISITION NEW YORK TIMES UP-DOCKS REVOLUTION AGAINST DEATH OSCAR NOMINEE JOSHUAWA OPENHAE RECEIVED A NEW TRAILER.

The film was directed by Jack Wiseman, Gabriela Osio Vanden, Will N. Prepared by Miller, Teddy Leifer and Michael Code.

"Ultimately, our goal is to bridge the gap between audience and subject," Weisman and Vanden said in a statement. "By immersing viewers in the bear's landscape while exposing the human forces that shape it every step of the way, we challenge them to see this landscape, both natural and political, as a shared and contested space. The pesky bear invites us to rethink who it really belongs to and what coexistence requires of us all."

Among the film's numerous awards are the Grand Jury Prize for US Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival, the 2026 Werner Herzog Film Award, the Grand Prize at the Silk Road International Film Festival in China, and the James Balog Creative Vision Award at Mountainfilm in Telluride, CO. Nominated for Best Science Documentary, Best Documentary, Best Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. Cinematography and two other awards for Critics' Choice Documentary Awards.

“Ever since we saw the film, we were captivated not only by the incredible story of the pesky bear, but also by what it says about humanity,” said Ariana Boko, VP of Global Distribution and Acquisitions, MUBI. The film is beautiful and profound – and we're thrilled to be working with Jack and Gabriella on their stunning feature film debut.

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