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Welcome to the official crowdfunding campaign for Mauled, an extraordinary indie film project that goes beyond survival. It's a profound exploration of resilience, the indomitable human spirit, and the unexpected beauty found in the midst of life's greatest challenges.
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In August 2017 Jeremy Evans faced the unimaginable—a relentless series of attacks from a protective female grizzly bear during a solo hunting expedition in the Alberta wilderness. Jeremy’s injuries were massive, his scalp and face severely mangled, an eye and his jaw dangling down. The tendons on one leg had been fully severed during the mauling. His hands were damaged where he had physically fought the bear. It was more than a dozen kilometres to where he had parked his truck in darkness early that morning and absolutely no one was near. Thoughts of his wife and their eight-month-old daughter consumed Jeremy throughout the agonizing trek as he stumbled and crawled for hours back to his truck, before driving himself several kilometres to a backcountry lodge for help.
With your support we aim to bring Jeremy's incredible story to the big screen, capturing the essence of his struggle and the profound lessons he's learned from facing nature's fury head-on. Despite the trauma, Mauled reveals Jeremy's unique perspective—he holds no animosity toward the bear, recognizing the primal instinct of a protective parent.
Estimated runtime: 20 min
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Rocky Mountain Books is one of Canada’s more vibrant, long-standing and evolving book publishers. Grace Gorman joined RMB in 2018 and currently serves as their Foreign Rights and Social Media Manager. She has also been involved in launching RMB's film department, marking an exciting new venture for the company. In August 2022, Grace's first documentary film project, The Zone, was released in 4 Canadian cities. Directed by Rob Tomkins and Produced by Grace Gorman in partnership with RMB, The Zone was a successful project that had a far reaching positive impact all over the world. After working together on a feature length documentary, Grace and Rob are teaming up again to share another breathtaking and inspirational short film with RMB author Jeremy Evans.![]()
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To turn this project into a reality, we are looking to raise $35,000 to cover marketing, transportation, aerial film support, honorariums, national park film and photography permits, gear, safety measures, a unique film score, post-production editing, sound design, colour grading, and distribution. Funds raised beyond our goal will go towards ensuring that our project is completed to the highest quality, as well as making donations to
Jeremy's charity to advance research regarding mental health supports for people suffering from PTSD; a cause that is important to Jeremy and the team.
MARKETING + DISTRIBUTION
- 20% of budget. Includes all marketing related expenses (backer perks, ads, events, marketing materials) and distribution of the finished film (festival submissions, distribution services).
TRANSPORTATION + EXPENSES
- 25% of budget. Includes crew transportation, accommodation, travel expenses, and services hired while filming on location in Alberta.
SAFETY + EXTRAS
- 13% of budget. Includes necessary safety equipment for the backcountry, communication services, and emergency funds for unforeseen circumstances.
FILMING + GEAR
- 17% of budget. Goes towards cast + crew honorariums, purchasing / renting necessary equipment, film permits.
POST-PRODUCTION
- 25% of budget. Goes towards colour grading, sound design, film score, and accessibility.
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The aftereffects of the bear attack left Jeremy to overcome physical and psychological challenges, including PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), a mental health condition caused by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Because of the trauma, Jeremy experienced violent, intense flashbacks, struggled to sleep and engaged in various forms of therapy. Jeremy finally experienced a breakthrough in his healing when he tried Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), which, three years later, allowed him to sleep soundly through the night for the first time since the attack.
Your support doesn't just fund a film; it fuels a powerful narrative that dives deep into the complexities of humanity, explores the unbreakable bonds of family and love, and celebrates the relentless pursuit of recovery. Creating a film of this magnitude requires a collaborative effort. Your contribution ensures this film achieves its full potential, creating a lasting impact on audiences worldwide and shining a light on the vast and varying effects of mental health.
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When filming in the wilderness, more specifically in bear country, there are many things to take into consideration. We are dependent on nice weather and optimal conditions, especially when we have a small crew. It is essential for our team to not disrupt any wildlife or put ourselves in a risky position, so there are a few things we need to ensure are in place or available if needed. Our crew will all have first aid knowledge and supplies, bear safety measures in place, obtain the proper permits, keep track of the weather, and we will always have a form of reliable communication available.
Other Ways You Can Help
Monetary donations aren't the only way to support this project! If you're wondering how else you can support Jeremy and this project, you rock and thanks! Here are some awesome ways to support and get involved:
- Purchase a copy of Mauled at your local bookstore
- Leave a book review online (Amazon, Goodreads)
- Follow our film page @mauledfilm and @thegrizzlydude1 on Instagram
- Consider contributing to Jeremy’s charity, supporting the advancement of research for mental health, particularly for those grappling with PTSD (t.ly/QlT-m)
- Like, comment and share podcasts, posts, news and media hits featuring Jeremy
- Tag us in your posts
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If you've gotten this far, THANK YOU! We’re so excited to share this project with you and hope that you will follow along the way!
Love,
The Grizzly Dude Team
Jeremy, Grace & Rob
