When polar bears dictate your day, it is a humbling, yet exhilarating experience. It also reinforces the lesson that within the context of climate change, we are the polar bear and the polar bear is us.
That’s the sentiment behind “Stewards of the North,” a new documentary short film profiling how and why Canada’s Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat is a uniquely special operation world-wide.
“Stewards of the North” was produced and directed by Canadian filmmaker, Diego Rojas Garcia, with co-producer, Celeste Courtemanche, original score composed by Graham Pierce, and sound mixing by Adam Ive.
The Documentary Film
Shot over two days in the early winter of 2026, this seven-minute film is a topic piece focusing on relationships between the bear keepers and the bears in their care, as well as the polar bears themselves.
This topic captured the imaginations of Rojas Garcia and Courtemanche, both of whom are passionate about wildlife and preservation of the natural world. Proof of these traits is imminently apparent throughout the film and the story it tells.
Film Festival Screenings
“Stewards of the North” will screen at the Toronto Independent Film Festival on September 17, 2026, and Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival on September 23, 2026.
The Toronto Independent Film Festival celebrates independent features, documentaries, and shorts from Toronto and around the world, while Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival promotes acclaimed Canadian and international films, and encourages film culture, education, and production in Northern Ontario.
The film’s trailer provides a sense of what to expect. It features Henry as does the promo poster below.
Passion for Polar Bears
If you have followed me for any length of time, you will know that, professionally, I work with law firms while, personally, my passion is the well-being of polar bears.
This is why I provide pro bono markets advice to the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat, and am proud to support and celebrate it along with Diego Rojas Garcia’s 2026 documentary film, “Stewards of the North.”
Heather Suttie is acknowledged as one of the world’s leading authorities on legal market strategy and management of legal services firms.
Since 1998, she has advised leaders of premier law firms and legal service providers — Global to Solo | BigLaw to NewLaw — on innovative growth strategies pertaining to business, markets, management, and clients. The result is creation of new value and accelerated performance achieved through a distinctive one of one legal market position and sustained competitive advantage leading to greater market share, revenue, and profits.
Heather writes on these issues at heathersuttie.ca and can be reached at heather@heathersuttie.ca