A grizzly bear and a polar bear mate as a result of climate change and in an attempt to find food for their "grolar bear" cub the male polar bear must leave the safety of their ice cave to hunt and find sustenance for his new family in a harsh and increasingly difficult environment. He encounters humans and gets himself into a bit of trouble while simply trying to survive and provide for his family.

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Geoff Mays
Baby: Hannah Ehman

https://www.instagram.com/planetaeric

Get to know the writer:

. What is your screenplay about?

It is a story about the Canary in the coal mine of climate change - Grolar bears. Grolar bears are a new hybrid species, a mutation resulting from the union of a polar bear and a grizzly due to habitat overlap caused by climate change.
This is a comical, yet heartfelt story of one father's mission to feed his young grolar bear cub or face starvation. His nightmare begins when he encounters humans. Will he survive a nightmare lost among humans and get back safely to his family and save his cub? Or will his family be another casualty of our greed and exploitation of our planet's resources?

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

Animated adventure peppered with a bit of comedy.

3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
Because I feel many stories about our current climate crisis are either too abstract or too depressing. Unfortunately we are at a tipping point for possible mass extinction of species on our planet at the moment. I wanted to make a simple story with no words that would resonate with any human, anywhere on this blue planet we call home. i chose the story structure of a father looking for food for his newborn cub. A theme that any person can relate to. Also, when a species becomes extinct, it is mourned for a bit but then they are forgotten but when a mutation occurs due to climate change, that doesn't go away. Its consistently in our face reminding us of the dire need to be better guardians of the nature we are blessed with. You take your kids on a camping trip or you turn on the TV and a "Grolar" Bear comes into view and you immediately think, "this hybrid creature shouldn't exist. It Isn't natural.". A slurry of questions comes to mind and you talk about it. Habitats of Grizzly bears and Polar bears should never overlap but due to the current trend of warming on our planet, they have and Grolar bears are the fruit of our disfunction, causing habitat loss. A Polar Bear's Nightmare is a wake up call for humanity in the simplest, least preachy way. Shouldn't animals have the right to be able to feed their offspring just as humans do?

4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Familial love.

5. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
Worked on it for about 3 months total.

6. How many stories have you written?
1 feature treatment (currently working on a 2nd), 3 shorts, 4 features, 5 TV pilots, 2 chldren's books (ages 3-8) and 1 Young Adult novel (ages 13 and above)

7. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
I truly believe each one of us have the power to cause a ripple effect towards reversing climate change. For example, industrialized meat production is the number one cause of carbon emissions on the planet, more than oil production or consumption. I promised to stop eating red meat and have kept that promise for the last 12 years. It was my way as an individual to cause a ripple effect. It is my hope that this charming, voiceless little story will also cause a ripple effect by highlighting our failure to protect creatures on this planet from extinction and possibly inspire compassion for the animal world. Drop by drop we can create an sea change.

8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Not many really, just research over effects of climate change until i found the subject to hone in on.

9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Archaeology, Ancient Unsolved Mysteries and anything paranormal.

10. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings
on the initial feedback you received?

Unbelievably, there aren't that many festivals dedicated to environmental awareness. This was the main draw for me. The feedback I received was thoughtful and provided constructive criticisim. Excellent feedback overall! Very happy with it.