The Black Bear

a film by Méryl Fortunat-Rossi & Xavier Seron

16min - 2015 - France / Belgium

Rule #1: never feed bears.
Rule #2: do not approach within 100 meters.
Rule #3: avoid surprising bears.
Rule #4: keep your dog on a leash.
Now that you know the rules, we wish you a pleasant stay in the natural park of the black bear.

Xavier Seron
After studying law, Xavier Seron entered the Institute of Broadcast Arts in 2001. In 2005, his graduation film "Rien d’insoluble" (Nothing Unsolvable) is rewarded several times and selected in about fifty festivals across the world (among them the Venice Film Festival). in 2007, he wrote and directed a short fiction film entitled "The Crab" with Christophe Hermans, which was selected at the Premiers Plans d’Angers Film Festival in France. In 2008, he contributed to the writing of the documentary feature "The Parents" by Christophe Hermans and co-wrote "En compagnie de la poussière" (In Company with the Dust), a short film by Jacques Molitor (selected at the Locarno Film Festival in France).
At the request of the actor and director Bouli Lanners, he directed "The Eldorado of Jean-Jacques", a making of documentary of the film "Eldorado". In 2011, he committed an ethologic and alcoholic short film entitled "Bad Moon" written and directed with Méryl Fortunat-Rossi. The film was nominated at the Magritte Awards and rewarded several times: its main actor Jean-Jacques Rausin was attributed three awards for his performance.
More recently, Xavier has completed "Dreamcatchers", a documentary feature about Belgian wrestlers directed with Cédric Bourgeois. He is currently working on the release of "Je me tue à te le dire", his first fiction feature.

Méryl Fortunat-Rossi
Méryl Fortunat-Rossi was born in Arles, France on April 24th 1979. He studies photography in highschool before heading towards film studies. Between 1998 and 2000, he co-directed three short home movies. Then from 2001 to 2005, he studied film-making at the Institute of Broadcast Arts in Belgium. Now he lives in Belgium where he divides his time between television work for the Belgian channel RTBF and his own films. His last fiction "Bad Moon" was attributed 9 awards around the world and received a nomination for Best short movie at the 2012 Magritte Awards. He also worked on the documentary genre with "Aparicion", which was also nominated for Best short at the Magritte Awards after being selected to the Aix-en-Provence film Festival, the Split festival, Jihalava or Brussels. In 2013, Méryl created the first Belgian film festival in France.

Awards and Festivals
Magritte 2016 Best narrative short film
Clermont-Ferrand 2016 short film festival national competition (France)
Audience award at Catacumba in Godella Ficca’t 2015 (Spain)
Golden eye award of the international competition at Paris International Fantastic Film Festival (France)
Rhône-Alpes award at Villeurbanne short film festival (France)
Audience award at 34th Molins de Rei horror film festival (Spain)
Audience award at Fenêtres sur courts, Dijon (France)
Audience award and young jury award for Best short film at San Sebastian horror and fantasy film festival (Spain)
Special mention at Acocollonat’ festival in Girona (Spain)
Best selection award at Kaohsiung film festival (Taiwan)
Audience award at Courtmétrange in Rennes (France)
Special mention at Short of the year - summer edition (Spain)
Best horror parody at Hrizantema film festival, Subotica Serbia
Audience award for best international short at Nevermore film festival (USA)
Audience award at Plan 9 les étranges nuits du cinéma in La Chaux de Fonds (Switzerland)
Student award at Faites des courts in Brie-Comte-Robert (France)
Audience award & Best short film in BoneBat Comedy of Horror festival (USA, Seattle)
Young Audience Award at Rencontres Cinémaginaire of Argelès sur Mer
Horror Award at Film Leben Festival
Special Jury Award at Bloody Week-end in Adincourt (France)
Audience award at Bloody Week-end in Adincourt (France)
Mélies d’Argent at HOFF Festival of Haapsalu (Estonia)
The 10th Circular Saw Audience at Cryptshow Festival (Spain)
Bronze Audience Award for Best International Short Fantasia to Fantasia Festival (Canada)
Best short Film at But : B-Movie, Underground & Trash (Netherland)
Audience Award at Festival International du Film Nancy-Lorraine (France)
Best comedy at Busho Film Festival (Hungary)
The Funniest Horror Comedy award at Horrible Imaginings Film Festival (USA)
Best SFX (2nd position) at Horrible Imaginings Film Festival (USA)
Film audience award at Fantasy Film Fest (Germany)
Special Mention at ToHorror Film fest (Italy)
First Prize - Horror Vision Trash Film Festival (Spain)
Audience Award for the belgian seance at Les 12 courts de minuit
Second Prize in the Narrative Short Film category - Certamen International de Cortometrajes Roberto di Chiara Florencio Varela (Argentina)
Piranha Alien d’Or Auidence Award at Festival du Film Fantastique de Rouen (France)
Mention Spéciale au International Environmental Film and Video Festival (FICA) (Brésil)
Price of the best stranger film of Festival srpskog filma fantastike (Serbia)
Gay Shark Award - Wolfsburg Trash Night (Germany)
Brussels Short Film Festival (Belgium)
Le Court en dit Long (France)
Milwaukee Film Festival (United States)
Festival Ecran Libre, Aigues-Mortes (France)
Festival Européen du Film Court de Brest - section Brest Off: "(Sur)vivre" (France)
Festival Tournez Court, Saint-Etienne - out of competition (France)
Festival Court Métrange, Rennes - Official competition (France)
Off-Courts Trouville 2015 - Official competition (France)
Partie(s) de Campagne - festival du film court d’Ouroux-en-Morvan (France)
Maipu Cortos Festival de Cine de Humor (Argentina)
Milano Film Festival - official competition (Italy)
Peace and Love Film Festival - official competition (Sweden)
FIJR Granada - International competition Freak Session (Spain)
Kinofest, Romania (fiction competition)
Arica Nativa international rural film festival (Chile) - in competition
Festival SPASM 2015 - official competition (Canada)
Festival Alcine in Alcalà de Henares - out of competition, section Golfomáraton de Comedia (Espagne)
Lund Fantastic Film festival (Sweden) - in competition
Bruxelles Pink screens Festival (Belgium)
Festival du cinéma international en Abitbi-Témiscamingue de Rouyn-Noranda (Québec) - out of competition
Courts devant short film festival (Paris) - official competition
Madterrorfest, Madrid (Spain) - in competition
Terrorificamente cortos (Spain) - in competition
El Cuervo international short film festival (Spain) - in competition
FKM - fantastic film festival in Coruna (Espagne)
Ravenna Nightmare film festival (Italie) - in compétition
Filmets Badalona, Barcelona (Spain) - in competition
Festival Séquence court-métrage in Toulouse (France) - out of competition
Festival Courts en champagne - en compétition
Festival Tous courts à Aix en Provence, La nuit du court (hors compétition)
Retour à l’anormal, festival lycéen du cinéma de genre (hors compétition)
17th Landshut short film festival (Germany) - in competition
Vélizy-Villacoublay Short film festival (France) - in competition
Fantasporto (Portugal) - out of competition
Aubagne international film festival (France) - in competition
Gérardmer Fantastic film festival 2016 - in competition
Festival Fec European film festival in Reus (Spain) - out of competition
Même pas peur, festival du film fantastique de la Réunion
Roze Filmdagen Amsterdam LGBTQ Film festival
Cluj shorts (Romania) - in competition
Cinequest film festival (USA) - in competition
MECAL, Barcelona international animation and short film festival (Spain) - in competition
Regensburg International short film festival (Germany) - out of competition
Dead by dawn, Scotland’s International horror film festival - in competition
Regard - international short film festival in Saguenay (Quebec) - in competition
Ca’ Foscari short film festival in Venice Italy - out of competition
European short film festival in Lille (France) - in competition
IndieLisboa - out of competition section "Mouth of madness" (Portugal)
Short films’ night - Printemps français en Ukraine (Kiev)
Calgary underground film festival (Canada)
NexT International film festival à Bucharest (Roumanie) - in competition
Belgrade Film festival
Dresden Film Fest (Germany) - in competition
Festival des Nations Lenzing (Austria)
Haapsalu horror and fantasy film festival (Estonia) - in competition for Mélies d’argent
International short film festival Radio City in Valencia (Spain)
Hollywood comedy short (USA) - official competition
Vilnius LGBT Festival (Lituania)
Le court nous tient à l’Ile Saint Denis (France)
DeadCenter Film Festival (USA)
The We festival, Maastricht (Netherlands)
Eidôlon Festival (France) - in competition
Eskişehir shortfest (Turquie) - internationale section not competitive
Festival de l’Histoire et de l’Art in Fontainebleau (France) - in competition
Festival Détours en cinécourt à Saint Geniès Bellevue (France)
Maremetraggio, International film festival in Trieste (Italy) - in competition
FICT, Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes de Torrelavega (Spain) - in competition
Fear No Film Festival (USA)
Festival international du film de Vebron (France) - in competition
Pachuca Film and Short Fest (Mexico) - in competition
Festival Des Films Des Auteurs in Guebwiller (France)- out of competition
Grossmann Fantastic Film & Wine Festival (Slovenia) - in competition
Fantasy Film Fest (Germany)
Stuff Film Festival (Mexico) - in competition
Open Air FilmFest Weiterstadt (Germany) - in competition
Festival Internacional de Curtmetratges de Manlleu (Spain) - in competition
InDPanda International Film Festival (China) - in competition
Mizzica Film Fest (Italy) - in competition
Queer Film Festival Mezipatra (Czech Republic) - in competition
Festival du Film de Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux (France) - out of competition
Trash Film Festival (Croatia) - in competition
Festival de Cinéma de la Ville de Québec (Canada) - in competition
Festival Des Notes et des Toiles (France) - in competition
Telluride Horror Show (USA) - out of competition
24FPS International Short Film Festival (USA) - in competition
Queersicht Queer Film Festival (Switzerland) - in competition
Queer Film Fest Weiterstadt (Germany) - in competition
Sustefest (Mexico) - in compétition
Sharing film festival
Marato de cinema fantastic i de terror de Sants, Hostafrancs and la Bordeta (Spain) - in competition
Du grain à démoudre (France) - out of competition
Utopia (France) - out of competition
Un Festival c’est trop Court (France) - out of competition
Saskatoon Fantastic Film Festival (Canada) - in competition
Nice Film Festival (France) - out of competition
Reggio Film Festival (Italy) - retrospective
Festival du Film Fantastique de Rouen (France) - in competition
Festival Combat (France) - in international competition
Terror Córdoba Festival de Cine (Argentina) - in competition
Durango Film Festival (USA) - in competition
Molins De Rei Horror Film Fest (Spain) - in competition
International Short Film Festival Żubroffka (Poland) - in competition
Soria Film Fest (Argentina) - out of competition
Festival de Cinéma Européen des Arcs (France) - in competition
Amarcort Film Festival (Italiy) - in competition
Prague Short Film festival (Czech Republic) - out of competition
Dam Short Film Festival (USA) - in competition
MovieScreenFestival (USA) - in competition
Les Petits Claps Festival (France) - in competition
Weird Shots (Espagne) - in competition
Off Screen Film Festival - Shortscreen (Belgium) - out of competition
Rétrospective du festival cinéma Européen de Lille (France) - out of competition
International Environmental Film and Video Festival, FICA (Brazil) - in competition
Festival Fantosfreak ( Spain) - in competition
Festival Srpskog Filma Fantastike (Serbia) - in competition
Fantafestival - Mostra Internazionale del Film di Fantascienza e del Fantastico Roma (Italy) - in competition