2025 Nominees

Dangerously Close

Production Company: Beetz Brothers film production GmbH, Miramonte Film, RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana

Produced for: ARD, Sky Deutschland, Rai Documentari

Executive Producer (Production Company): Georg Tschurtschenthaler, Christina Beetz, Andreas Pichler

Executive Producer (network/platform): Markus Nikel, Petra Felber, Johanna Teichmann, Matthias Leybrand, Antje Stamer, Felix Kempter, Christian Asanger

Country or Territory where first released: Germany

Synopsis:

Nowhere else in the world do bears and humans live in such proximity as they do in Trentino, near Lake Garda. However, as the bear population grows, dangerous encounters between humans and animals are also on the rise. The 20-member team of rangers and veterinarians responsible for protecting both people and animals faces an especially important task. When 26-year-old Andrea Papi is found dead in the forest during Easter 2023, a grim suspicion quickly emerges: Papi was killed by the bear JJ4. This incident marks the first death caused by a wild animal in Central Europe in recent history. As the foresters attempt to capture JJ4, the conflict between animal rights activists and bear opponents reaches a critical point, raising urgent questions: Should JJ4 be killed? How should we handle the return of large predators to our forests? When do bears become "problem bears"? And who truly owns nature and the forest?