The Bear Truth: A short film by Anna Rodgers celebarates this year’s GAZE Film Festival’s opening film Animals

GAZE; Dublin’s international LGBT film festival begins this evening Thursday 1st August at the Lighthouse Cinema here in Smithfield. There is a great variety of LGBT themed films including features, short films and documentaries as well as discussions and other associated events. There is lots of information on this year’s festival here.

The festival’s opening film is the Spanish film Animals and is a coming of age story which centres on the character of Pol and his relationships with his family and friends as well as Deerhoof who is an imaginary walking, talking teddy bear whom he turns to for support and friendship.

To highlight and celebrate the launch of the festival’s opening night film the Irish film-maker Anna Rodgers has made a short film called The Bear Truth in which several people talk about the stories and importance of their own relationships with their teddy bears.