A documentary essay exploring the bonds between humans, animals, and the forest, revealing a complex world where protection and exploitation collide. Blending realism, political engagement, and a dreamlike approach, the film calls for a rethinking of our connection to the living world.

What happens when we start to look at forests as complex habitats shared by many forms of life? In In the Forest, Québec director Pascale Ferland travels through forests across the province, beautifully capturing elusive and majestic animals and flora, alongside scientists, Indigenous voices, and forestry workers who offer different ways of seeing a landscape that is at once habitat, resource, workplace, and home.

Ferland observes these encounters with artistry and curiosity, allowing contradictions to emerge. Animals move through these spaces alongside the people reshaping them, creating a shifting portrait of our complicated relationship with the more-than-human world.

Combining striking observational footage with a dreamlike sensibility, this documentary essay invites us to slow down and consider what we stand to lose as the forests around us change.

Planet in Focus is proud to present the Ontario premiere of In the Forest. -PLANET IN FOCUS