• Rob Wainwright, former Scotland rugby captain and Hebridean farmer, is backing the new documentary The Shepherd and the Bear for its honest, ground-level portrayal of rewilding and its real-world impact on farming communities.

• Set in the French Pyrenees, the film explores the fallout from the reintroduction of brown bears, echoing live debates in Scotland and across the UK about rewilding, species reintroduction and the future of rural livelihoods.

• Released by independent distributor Conic, the film is now showing in selected UK cinemas and will be available to rent or buy on major platforms from 13 April.

Former Scotland rugby captain and Hebridean farmer Rob Wainwright has thrown his support behind the new documentary The Shepherd and the Bear, urging audiences to watch the film for its honest and nuanced portrayal of rewilding from the perspective of those who live and work on the land.

Set high in the French Pyrenees, The Shepherd and the Bear explores the conflict sparked by the reintroduction of brown bears into a traditional shepherding community. The film follows an ageing shepherd struggling to sustain his livelihood as bears prey on his flock, alongside a teenage boy who becomes obsessed with tracking the animals. While rooted in France, the film echoes debates playing out across the UK and Scotland around rewilding, species reintroduction and the future of rural communities.

Wainwright, who has farmed cattle and sheep in the Hebrides for nearly 30 years, said the film reflects realities that are often absent from public discussion. After retiring from professional rugby and his medical career, he built a life in farming, rooted in the day-to-day challenges of island life.

Rob Wainwright said: "What this film captures is the complexity that's usually missing from debates about rewilding and species reintroduction. Almost every reintroduction, however well intentioned, has a negative impact on someone's livelihood, and that reality often gets brushed aside.

"If you don't make your living from the land, it can all look like a simple, positive idea on paper. But when changes are imposed on the places where people farm, work and raise families, the consequences are very real, financial, emotional and, in some cases, existential.

"The film doesn't present easy villains or heroes. It shows how polarised these conversations have become, and how quickly people end up entrenched on opposite sides, often before any meaningful discussion has even begun. As a farmer, I recognise so many of the pressures shown on screen, from predator losses to the wider challenge of sustaining rural livelihoods in a changing world.

"What makes this film valuable is that it simply shows what happens on the ground. It doesn't shout, it doesn't lecture, and it doesn't pretend there are simple answers.

"Anyone interested in rewilding, conservation or the future of rural communities should watch it, because these issues are far more nuanced than they're usually allowed to be."

The film is being released in the UK and Ireland by Conic, the independent distributor behind recent award-winning documentaries and feature films.

Jen Davies, co-founder of Conic, said: "From the moment we saw The Shepherd and the Bear, it was clear this wasn't a film offering easy solutions. It's a film about people, about land, and about what happens when big environmental decisions meet everyday reality.

"These debates are often framed in extremes, but the truth sits somewhere far more complicated. The film gives space to that complexity and, in doing so, invites audiences to listen rather than take sides. Rob's response to the film perfectly reflects why we felt it was important to bring this story to cinemas."

The film is now in selected UK cinemas, find screenings at www.conic.film/bear  The film will be available to rent or buy to watch at home on major platforms from 13 April.