“A life-changing film.”
Dr. Sylvia Earle
A gripping exposé of the polar bear fur trade, revealing how conservation, politics and commercial interests collide in ways the public was never meant to see.
Trade Secret follows three unlikely allies on a mission to protect polar bears from international commercial trade. Filmed over six years across nine countries, the film exposes the sanctioned sale of hundreds of polar bears each year on the global market. But as the investigation deepens, it uncovers a disturbing truth: those entrusted with safeguarding the species may be entangled in their continued commercialisation. The film raises urgent questions about how we protect vulnerable species in a world where the lines between protection and exploitation have become blurred.
Synopsis
“It is a superbly crafted work - powerful, urgent, and deeply moving. It sheds light on a matter of global importance, and it does so with both journalistic integrity and cinematic finesse.”
Wolfgang Knöpfler,
Producer of ‘The Ivory Game’ and ‘Sea of Shadows’.
“A breathtaking masterpiece and unflinching exposé - confronting humanity’s betrayal of the wild and the devastating cost of losing a species forever.”
Kartiki Gonsalves
Academy Award winning director of ‘The Elephant Whisperers’
Awards + Honours
Opening Film at Wildscreen
Winner GOLDEN PANDA award for Best Production and the award for
Best Independent Film
Bristol, UK
Trade Secret has received a nomination for the International Green Film Award by the Cinema for Peace. Gala Awards 16th February in Berlin, Germany
Award Winner Hamptons International
Compassion, Justice & Animal Rights Award Winner - presented by Zelda Penzel
Hamptons, USA
Audience Award Winner
Climate Film Festival New York
International Premiere opened by Dr. Sylvia Earle. Also winner of Visionary Award.
New York City, USA
Change Award Winner
Adelaide Film Festival, Australia
AFF describes the film as “a meticulously composed exposé…Trade Secret avoids sensationalism in favour of clear-eyed, forensic storytelling. Calm and quietly damning.”
World Premiere
Sheffield DocFest, UK
Trade Secret received its first press with a review from NowThen Magazine - describing it as: “riveting.. unflinching storytelling.”
Investigative Film Nominee
Jackson Wild, Wyoming
Abraham Joffe also took part in a panel titled “Investigative Journalism: Courage in the Search for Truth" moderated by Andreas Crostas.
Centrepiece Film at Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival Washington DC, USA
Professor David E. Guggenheim moderated a post screening discussion with Abraham Joffe, Iris Ho and Costas Christ.
Finalist at the 2026 SIMA AWARDS
Which celebrates outstanding achievements in social impact storytelling, from around the world.
Upcoming Screenings
EXETER, UK
Exeter Screening of Trade Secret with live Q+A with director Abraham Joffe
Cinema Location: Bradninch Place, Gandy Street, Exeter, EX4 3LS
JANUARY 21st 5:30pm
Phoenix Cinema, Exeter
PLYMOUTH, UK
Exeter Screening of Trade Secret with live Q+A with director Abraham Joffe
Cinema Location: Tavistock Place, Plymouth PL4 8AT
JANUARY 22nd 5:45pm Plymouth Arts Cinema
FRENCH PREMIERE
January 27th + 30th
Trade Secret has its French premiere at FIPADOC, France’s leading international documentary festival held annually in Biarritz, renowned for championing bold non-fiction storytelling across cinema, television, and immersive formats. The film will screen Tuesday, January 27 at 2:45 PM and Friday, January 30 at 11:45 AM, both at Cinéma Le Royal 1.
UAE PREMIERE
January 31st 6:00pm UAE
Xposure International Photography & Film Festival, held annually in Sharjah, UAE, is one of the region’s leading visual storytelling events celebrating environmental and humanitarian filmmaking. Trade Secret will screen as part of the festival’s official film programme, marking its UAE Premiere. On the 2nd February Abraham will join wildlife investigative journalist Adam Cruise on stage for a panel discussion called: Exposing the Trade Secret: A Conservation Paradox
Trade Secret will have its Australian East Coast Premiere at Sydney’s largest documentary festival - Antenna. The screening on the 8th of February at the Ritz in Randwick will be followed by a live Q+A by director Abraham Joffe. A second screening will follow at the Dendy in Randwick on the 13th of February.
ANTENNA DOC FESTIVAL
February 8th and 13th SYDNEY AUSTRALIA
WILD + SCENIC, USA
Trade Secret will screen as part of the 2026 Wild & Scenic Film Festival, one of the world’s leading environmental film festivals, taking place February 19–23, 2026 in Nevada City and Grass Valley, California. Known for inspiring environmental activism through film, Wild & Scenic provides a powerful platform for Trade Secret, an investigative feature that challenges audiences to confront the hidden forces shaping wildlife conservation and what meaningful protection for our planet demands.
February 19th-23rd CALIFORNIA
Trade Secret will screen at the Sedona International Film Festival on Sunday, February 22 at 10:00am at Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre, and Tuesday, February 24 at 4:00pm at Harkins Theatre 1. One of the longest-running and most respected independent film festivals in the United States, Sedona is known for its engaged audiences and strong support for films that explore social, environmental, and political issues.
SEDONA FILM FESTIVAL
February 22nd and 24th
Trade Secret will have its Canadian Premiere at the 2026 Salt Spring Film Festival, a respected and long-running celebration of independent cinema held on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia. Known for its engaged audiences and strong curatorial focus on films with social and environmental relevance, Salt Spring provides an ideal setting for the Canadian debut of Trade Secret.
SALT SPRINGS, CANADA
February 28th
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