Bears and Man

Bears and Man
Title frame from film, with helicopter slinging a tranquilized bear
Directed by	Bill Schmalz
Written by	Bill Schmalz, Kalle Lasn
Narrated by	Chief Dan George, Patricia Best
Music by	Craig Tomlinson
Cinematography	Bill Schmalz
Edited by	Kalle Lasn
Production company	Wilderness Cinegraphic
Distributed by	National Film Board of Canada
Release date	1978
Running time	25 mins
Country	Canada
Language	English

Bears and Man (French title: L'Ours Mon Frère) is a 1978 Canadian educational film by Bill Schmalz. It was produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and Parks Canada. The film documents human-bear interactions in Canada's National Parks. It was narrated by Chief Dan George and Patricia Best, and was co-written and edited by Adbusters founder Kalle Lasn.

Canada's mountain national parks, particularly Banff and Jasper, had become popular international destinations by the 1930s. Parks Canada allowed the development of new paved roads, resulting in an influx of automobile tourism. Interacting with the many black and grizzly bears in the parks became a popular activity, with many tourists feeding the animals and posing for pictures. By the 1960s, Parks Canada noted the existence of "problem" or "bum" bears; these were animals who had become dependent on human food and habituated to human contact, making them a threat to both visitors and themselves. Tourists were mauled and killed, and hundreds of bears were destroyed. By the late 1960s, the agency decided that it needed more educational materials to help inform tourists of good practices regarding bears. It had published pamphlets since the 1940s, but saw the need for a film exploring the troubled relationship between bears and humans.

Schmalz, who had recently finished a film on Dall sheep, contacted the NFB about making an educational film about bears in the Parks. The filmmaker had become interested in the topic after learning of the shooting of two grizzly cubs in Banff by park wardens. Parks Canada agreed to help produce the film, and Schmalz began work in 1974. He consulted with park wardens in Kootenay, Waterton, Banff, and Jasper national parks. Storyboards were developed with the consultation of the Parks agency.