SYDNEY SCIENCE FICTION FILM FESTIVAL HONOURS POLARIS CO-STAR ‘AGEE’ WITH CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD; ANIMAL ACTOR RETIRES AFTER TWO DECADES IN SHOWBUSINESS

Agee, the polar bear who shares remarkable scenes with Australian actress Viva Lee in Kirsten Carthew’s POLARIS, has received a Career Achievement Award from the Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival.

After two decades in showbusiness, the 26 year-old animal actor was retired after the Yukon shoot of Polaris, the Opening Night film at this year’s festival. She has been relocated from her trainer’s facility at Beyond Bears in British Columbia to new environs at the Leatherdale International Polar Bear Conservation Centre in Winnipeg.

Agee was born January 3, 1995 in Sweden’s Kolmården Wildlife Park. Transferred to Canada as a cub, she quickly became one of the elite animal actors in North America. Her film credits include Alaska (1996), The Journey Home (2014), Operation Arctic (2014) and Arctic (2018). She also had extensive TV series work, including Fringe, Zoo and Arctic Air, and dozens of commercial credits.

Since Agee spent her entire life in human care and has not had contact with other polar bears, it's unlikely that she will be introduced to the other bears at the zoo.