©Courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Alisdair Macdonald, a well-known British photojournalist, worked for the Daily Mirror for a long time, documented The Beatles, and was famous for his bird photography. Helen Macdonald (who is non-binary), his child who identified as non-binary, took the shock of his sudden passing away in 2007 particularly hard, as he was also a beloved father.

The memoir ‘H Is for Hawk’, written by Macdonald in 2014, is an intimate portrait of their grief and their effort to heal by adopting and training a young Eurasian goshawk in the tradition of their falconer father. The book was well-received and won both the Samuel Johnson Prize and the Costa Book of the Year award.

The story of Alisdair, Helen, and Mabel the goshawk has made its way onto the big screen almost 20 years after the loss of the man who inspired it. Philippa Lowthorpe was the director and Emma Donoghue and Lowthorpe and Emma Donoghue wrote the script for the film, which features Claire Foy as Helen and a talented raptor as Mabel. The film also features Denise Gough, Sam Spruell, and Lindsay Duncan.

The film’s official synopsis said : It follows Helen (Foy), who, after the sudden death of her father (Brendan Gleeson), loses herself in the memories of their time birding and exploring the natural world together and turns the ancient art of falconry — rooted in European tradition — training a wild goshawk named Mabel to navigate her profound loss. But as she teaches Mabel to hunt and fly free, Helen discovers how deeply she has neglected her own emotions and life. What begins as an act of endurance transforms into an intimate journey of resilience and healing.”

The film premiered at Telluride in September, Roadside Attractions will release “H Is for Hawk” in December for a one-week qualifying run, with a nationwide rollout to follow on January 23, 2026.