Bear with Me
Feature documentary | 84′ | 2026 | Bulgaria
World Premiere
“An intimate portrait of one of Europe’s last circus animal trainers and the extraordinary bond with the bear she refuses to abandon, while having nowhere else to go.”
Synopsis
Maxy Niedermeyer, an 80-year-old former circus trainer, lives in a parking lot near Amsterdam with Natasha, her last surviving bear. Raised in a circus family, Maxy entered the arena at just 11 years old and spent six decades performing with wild animals. But as society turned against animal entertainment, her world collapsed. After the death of her tiger, Maxy remains alone with Natasha—the only family she has left and the only reason she still has a place to stay. A portrait of love, dependency, and the end of an era.
