The mining town of Norilsk sits in the heart of the Siberian Arctic, bathed in the billowing smoke and sulphur of its mills and factories. Built by Gulag prisoners under Stalin, Norilsk remains a mysterious place, haunted by its past suffering. While miners ponder lost comradeship and teenagers dream of escape, artists and descendants of the Gulag prisoners seek to shed light on Norilsk’s dark past, long since buried under the Siberian ice.
Polar Bears are well adapted for life in a frozen snow-covered environment. However, during summer and early fall, Hudson Bay is ice free. This film follows the bears throughout summer, unraveling the difficulties in their fight for survival at a time of plenty for all other Arctic inhabitants. By early July, the bears are cast ashore and live off resources acquired during the winter. Cubs born in December experience for the first time the explosion of life during the colourful Arctic summer.
