Private Project

Polar Bear

Heriberto gives two old friends a ride to an elementary school reunion. During the journey, full of car malfunctions, anecdotes and booze, Heri tries to reconnect with them but Flor and Trujillo, a pair of shallow urbanites, start replicating the same abusive dynamic they inflicted upon him when they were kids: a relationship based on racism and class warfare. Heri, no longer his old submissive self, will provide them with the surprise of their lives. Polar Bear is the first Latin American film entirely shot with iphones.

  • Marcelo Tobar
    Director
    Asteroide, Dos mil metros (sobre el nivel del mar)
  • Marcelo Tobar
    Writer
    Asteroide, Dos mil metros (sobre el nivel del mar), Ingobernable (TV), Camelia la Texana (TV), La Teniente (TV)
  • Elsa Reyes
    Producer
    Workers, Warehoused, The Similars, Las Horas Muertas
  • Marcelo Tobar
    Producer
    Asteroide, Dos mil metros (sobre el nivel del mar)
  • Humberto Busto
    Key Cast
    Amores Perros, El Chapo, Los Heroes del Norte, Morirse en Domingo
  • Veronica Toussaint
    Key Cast
    Rabbit on the Moon, Capadocia
  • Cristian Magaloni
    Key Cast
    Amar te Duele, Ramírez
  • Fernando Alvarez Rebeil
    Key Cast
    I Dream in Another Language, Las Lagrimas
  • Luis Alberti
    Key Cast
    Eisenstein in Guanajuato, Carmín Tropical
  • Harold Torres
    Key Cast
    Gonzalez, Ingobernable
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Oso Polar
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Iphone filmmaking, Road movie, School reunion, bullying
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 13 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 16, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    15,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Mexico
  • Country of Filming:
    Mexico
  • Language:
    Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Iphone 5s, Iphone 4, Nokia
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:33
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Morelia Film Festival
    Morelia
    Mexico
    October 24, 2017
    World Premiere
    Best Film, Best Actor, Mention by the Press.
Distribution Information
  • La Torre y el Mar
    Country: Mexico
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Marcelo Tobar

Vancouver Film School alumni; he's written, directed and co-produced three small-budget independent films under a cooperative system. His first film 2000 METERS became the first Mexican film to be distributed freely online through a Creative Commons license. ASTEROID, his second film, enjoyed a healthy international festival run, garnering awards. POLAR BEAR is the first Mexican film shot with iphones. It was financed through crowdfunding and finished thanks to a post production grant by the city of Mexico.

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Director Statement

From its inception Polar Bear was an unorthodox film: we crowdfunded our budget and designed the script to shoot using 2nd generation iphones. We used our homes as locations and mixed our families with pro actors. We gleaned the city using technology and social media to our advantage, challenging the orthodox filmmaking process. Polar Bear is the product of impatience turned into action.