January 6, 2025
A Bear Named Wojtek has been nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the British Short Film Awards. The awards ceremony is taking place on Sunday 26th January 2025. We are delighted to be attending and celebrate the nominated alongside all the other nominees. Good luck.
December 20, 2024
We are delighted to share that A Bear Named Wojtek has been nominated for Best Special Production at the 52nd ANNIE Awards. Also delighted that our composer on A Bear Named Wojtek, Normand Roger, is receiving a highly deserved lifetime achievement award at the Annies this year…The Winsor McCay Award. Congratulations Normand!
Thank you to the whole team behind the film and a special congratulations to director Iain Gardner. A lot of hard work has been put into creating the final film and hopefully that is being noticed. Good luck to all nominees.
December 17, 2024
Some 80 animated short films qualified for consideration as Best Animated Short Film at the 97th Academy Awards®. 15 films have now progressed to the short list, including the UK/Polish co-production of A BEAR NAMED WOJTEK, produced by Illuminated Films, Filmograf and Animation Garden. The final five nominees will be announced on 17th January 2025.
The 28-minute film tells the true story of a bear, adopted by Polish soldiers during the Second World War, that played a legendary role at the battle of Monte Cassino before they end up as Polish refugees in Scotland after the war. The director, Iain Gardner, an Edinburgh resident, was inspired by the fact that Wojtek the bear spent the last years of its life at Edinburgh Zoo and researched the details of Wojtek’s incredible journey.
A Bear Named Wojtek won Best Long Form Animation at the British Animation Awards and Best Animation at the Venice TV Awards among others.
Director Iain Gardner comments ‘It’s testimony to our amazing crew – over a hundred of them, from script to final grade, that we’ve accomplished this stage of the Academy Award® process. Everybody involved with the film elevated my vision, making the final film greater than the sum of its parts. Thank you to everyone who has been on this journey with me.’
The co-producer, Iain Harvey of Illuminated Films, comments ‘the story is truly inspirational, symbolizing so many elements of life, the realities of war and the profound importance of relationships. With a beautiful score by Normand Roger, its impact on audiences has been very gratifying and hopefully justifies the support we have received from Screen Scotland, Polish Film Institute, and the BFI Young Audience Content Fund.’
Co-producer Wlodzimierz Matuszewski of Filmograf comments ‘what a great honour for the unforgettable bear Wojtek, symbolizing the fate of Poland in the 20th century. Fully deserved for the creative effort of the great animation artist Iain Gardner, and exceptional creative synergy between British and Polish teams!’
December 10, 2024
Tickets on sale now for A Bear Named Wojtek (and War Game) screening plus Q&A at the BFI Southbank on 19 January. Tickets available here.
November 22, 2024
‘A Bear Named Wojtek is a new dramatic, hand-drawn animated short vying for awards consideration this year. It’s inspired by the life of a real, large, Syrian brown bear, who was adopted by Polish soldiers during World War II. His significant, remarkable accomplishments and lasting impact are chronicled in the film, from director Iain Gardner.’
Read the full article here.
November 12, 2024
Discover the Making Of ‘A Bear Named Wojtek’, inspired by the true story of Wojtek, a bear soldier. Presented to an enthusiastic audience at Annecy in the official selection 2024. Watch the full Making Of film here.
Director Iain Gardner takes a look back at the process of making A Bear Named Wojtek and highlights the creative team involved with getting the final film produced. Thank you to all those involved in making the film that we are very proud of.
October 20, 2024
We are thrilled to be at MIPCOM selling A BEAR NAMED WOJTEK, a true story about a bear who became a WWII hero. Meet with us to explore acquisition opportunities.
We are also sharing our latest project, ROCKET ROBBINS, based on the beloved children’s book Look Up! ROCKET ROBBINS captures the spirit of life and curiosity that made Look Up! such a hit, and we are seeking international partners to help bring this exciting project to life.
Connect with us at MIPCOM to discuss both projects in more detail!
October 17, 2024
New phone case? New bottle? Check out New merch in our store: https://davespud.teemill.com/
September 25, 2024
We are blown away by A Bear Named Wojtek winning Best Animation at the Venice TV Award given the calibre of the competition! Well done to our team, and all the nominations. Great news for BBC Alba which has released the film on iPlayer again following the announcement of the win.
This is a great honour to receive and highlights the talent behind the film, who we cannot thank enough.
September 12, 2024
2025 Oscars Short Film Contenders: Director Iain Gardner on his hand-drawn animated film ‘A Bear Named Wojtek,’ which tells the real-life story of a bear that legend says played a key role during a battle of World War II.