The White Planet

The documentary follows a year in the Arctic: sea animals, birds, the creatures that live on land, and above all the polar bear. The camera stays through all four seasons, trying to show how life holds on in such a place. The argument is never stated outright but sits inside the frame, with the fragility of the ice offered as a reason to act on climate change. Made jointly by Jean Lemire, Thierry Piantanida and Thierry Ragobert, it was nominated in the documentary category at the twenty-seventh Genie Awards in 2007. The polar explorer Jean-Louis Étienne narrates. The film keeps commentary to a minimum and leaves the work to the image, watching a bear hunt and the ice breaking up with the same patience.