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.”

Feature documentary | 84′ | 2026 | Bulgaria

Directed by: Martin Genovski
Produced by: AGITPROP in association with AUTENTIC, with the participation of ZDF in co-operation with ARTE, with the support of Bulgarian National Film Center
Starring: Maxy Niedermeyer & Natasha (the bear)

Synopsis

German-born Jewish WWII survivor and former circus star Maxy Niedermeyer (80) lives in a parking lot near Amsterdam with Natasha, her last surviving bear. Raised in a circus family, she entered the arena at just 11 in the former GDR and spent six decades performing with wild animals. But as society turned against animal entertainment, her world collapsed.
Today, Natasha is the only family she has left, and the only reason she still has a place to stay. A moving portrait of love, loyalty, animal ethics, and the end of an era.

Materiales de PROMO