The Girl Who Wasn’t Afraid of Bears by Lea Vučko

Published December 9, 2025

Title: The Girl Who Wasn’t Afraid of Bears
Original title: Dekle, ki se ni balo medvedov
Year of production: 2025
Running time: 20 minutes
Country of production: Slovenia,  (Hungary, Croatia)
Target audience: 9+
Premiere: Animateka 2025
Technique: 2D Computer Animation
Language: Slovenian, English – Without dialogue (written dialog)

Director: Lea Vučko
Production company: Invida
Co-production: Jaka Produkcija, CUB Animation, Octopics
Producer: Maja Zupanc, Jure Vizjak
Sales / Distribution Company: Bear With Me Distribution

Request screener: Bear With Me Distribution

Synopsis:
 In a silent animated folktale rooted in Balkan mythology and told with the starkness of a feminist western, a young girl escapes the roles forced on her by disguising herself as a man. On her journey, she outwits devils, slays beasts, and earns the respect of kings—proving to the world that she has no fear. But her final test comes when she meets a shapeshifting dragon who sees what she’s tried to hide all along. The Girl Who Wasn’t Afraid of Bears is a story about courage, identity, and the quiet cost of becoming what the world expects.