Where to Watch Bears in Hot Tubs

We hope to share Maddie’s story with audiences and communities far beyond Los Angeles! We are currently submitting to festivals across the United States and internationally and will update this page as we announce more screenings!

Upcoming Screenings

Various Dates – Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour – Official Selection

May 1, Film Only Film, Online, – Official Selection

May 2, 2026, Sunset Film Festival Los Angeles, – Nominated for Best Film, Los Angeles, CA. Co-director Claire Musser will attend the screening.

May 4-17, Santiago Wild Film Festival, Online Showcase

May 21, Mammoth Lakes Film Festival – Official Selection, Mammoth Lakes, CA. Co-director Claire Musser will attend the screening.

June 18-21 2026, Fear No Film – Official Selection, Salt Lake City, UT. Co-director Claire Musser will attend the screening.

Art Giraffe International Film Festival, 2026 – Official Selection, – Nominated for Best ECO Film and Best Short Documentary, competing for the second round!

Nature Without Borders, 2026, – Official Selection, – Competing for a place at the Best of Festival

Awards and Previous Screenings

Best Documentary Short

Ladyface Mountain Documentary Film Festival 2026, Agoura Hills CA, 2026

Film Competitions

Best Shorts Competition, 2026 – Award of Merit

The Impact DOCS Awards, 2026 – Award of Merit

Dumbo Film Festival, 2026 – Semi-Finalist

Official Selections

Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2026, Nevada City, CA.

Golden State Film Festival 2026, TLC Chinese Theatre 6, Hollywood, CA

Skyfire Environmental Film Festival 2026 – Official Selection, Mesa, AZ

Lake Tahoe Documentary Film Festival – Official Selection, Lake Tahoe, CA.

Green Screen: Our Planet On Film – Official Selection, Museum of Natural History, Los Angeles, CA.

Honorable Mentions

Ecos Shorts Festival 2026, Risaralda, Columbia

Sustain Film Festival 2026, Surrey, UK

Maddie, Co-Director and Co-Creator of Bears in Hot Tubs, American black bear and local resident

Academic Awards

Best Student Presentation, International Society for Anthrozoology (2025)
Bears in Hot Tubs: Co-creating with Bears—Visual Storytelling, Multispecies Entanglements, and the Making of Bears in Hot Tubs

PhD Presentation Award, AIP2024 Anthrozoology as International Practice Conference
Bears in Hot Tubs: A Short Film About Learning to Coexist and Co-Thrive with the American Black Bear in Los Angeles

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