WOLF

Director: Cees van Kempen

The wolf was almost completely eradicated in Europe over the last few centuries. Small populations survived in the large forests of Eastern Poland. In recent decades, not only did the wolf get legal protection, it made a remarkable comeback. WOLF tells the story of how this magnificent animal found its way home from Poland, through Germany to one of the busiest countries of the continent, The Netherlands.

Most of us have never seen a wolf in the wild, let alone looked it in the eye.
Yet all of us have grown up with the mythical image of the ‘big, bad wolf’ in fairy tales and stories. But sometimes stories don’t tell the whole truth. The film starts with a pinch of Peter and the Wolf, but soon the audience will be led to discover the real story of this extraordinary predator.

The story is about a wolf pup, born in Eastern Germany, where he grows up in the protective environment of his pack. As a young adult he leaves his family to find his own territory and a mate. To achieve this, he has to cross rivers and dangerous highways in an environment ever more dominated by human beings. Our protagonist, named Scout, finally ends up in the centre of The Netherlands. Against the odds, he finds plenty of prey in recovering forests and his presence alone seems enough to reinforce and invigorate the natural order. And above all, he finds a mate. The story celebrates the success of the first wolfpack in The Netherlands. The very first Dutch born wolf pup takes the audience to the astonishing conclusion of this modern day fairy-tale, a true story with another, concluding and emotive, pinch of Peter and the Wolf.

WOLF is a dramatic and authentic blue chip wildlife film.
It showcases unique footage of the wolf in the wild, giving an intimate insight into the real life of this wonderful animal, its strong family bonds, its positive influence on biodiversity and how remarkably similar they are to ‘man’s best friend’.