Project Grizzly

Project Grizzly is a 1996 documentary about Canadian inventor Troy Hurtubise. The film follows Hurtubise's obsession with researching the Canadian grizzly bear up close ever since surviving an early encounter with such a bear. The film was directed by Peter Lynch and produced by the National Film Board of Canada who approached Hurtubise after reading his 1990 book White Tape: An Authentic Behind the Scenes Look at Project Grizzly. Synopsis After a dangerous but victimless encounter with a giant grizzly bear during a camping trip in 1984, North Bay, Ontario resident Troy Hurtubise is inspired to research the species up close. A scrap-metal merchant, Hurtubise builds a space suit-like "grizzly-proof" suit of armour inspired by the film RoboCop, which he calls "Ursus Mark VI". The inventor works diligently to improve the $150,000 suit, continuously testing its resilience by subjecting himself to would-be injuries from moving automobiles and bar brawls. He then forays into the Rockies to track down the grizzlies he dreams of meeting. Hurtubise ultimately leaves without repeating the bear encounter, which director Peter Lynch optimistically notes is the only way "the quest [can live] on." Production Project Grizzly was filmed in Rocky Mountains of Alberta. To aid in the capture of the film's spontaneous moments, director Peter Lynch used compact Super 16 cameras, a format typically reserved for non-theatrical filmmaking. According to Lynch, the maintenance of believability and continuity was taken into consideration throughout the filming process. Release Project Grizzly premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 1996 where it was selected as "best of festival." The film was subsequently screened at other Canadian film festivals throughout the fall of 1996 before receiving a wider theatrical release throughout 1997. As of 2001, Project Grizzly has grossed Can$30 million.