Phil Roberts 
Philippa Lowthorpe’s beautiful adaptation of Helen Macdonald’s memoir is coming to UK cinemas on January 23rd. Get ready to meet Mabel the Goshawk in the charming H is For Hawk!
At long last, Philippa Lowthorpe’s H is for Hawk has secured a UK release date with Lionsgate. The charming adaptation of Helen Macdonald’s memoir stars Claire Foy, Brendan Gleeson, Lindsay Duncan, Denise Gough, and Sam Spruell and follows university lecturer Helen as she deals with the passing of her father. Wrapped up in grief, she becomes obsessed with the idea of training her own Goshawk, and so she brings the fearsome bird Mabel home to her life as a graduate fellow at Cambridge. Check out the heartwarming trailer below:
SYNOPSIS
When Helen’s beloved father passes away, she is knocked sideways by grief and loses herself in memories of their time birding and exploring the natural world together. She becomes obsessed with the idea of training her own goshawk, and so she brings the fearsome bird Mabel home to her life as a graduate fellow at Cambridge. Helen fills the freezer with hawk food and turns off her phone, ready to embark on the long, strange business of trying to train this wildest of animals. But as she labours to tame Mabel, a grieving Helen undergoes an untaming of her own. A record of a spiritual journey, H IS FOR HAWK is a story about memory and nature and how it might be possible to reconcile death with life and love.
Directed by Philippa Lowthorpe. Based on the novel by Helen Macdonald. Screenplay by Emma Donoghue & Philippa Lowthorpe. Produced by Dede Gardner & Jeremy Kleiner.
REACTIONS
Having seen the film at the BFI London Film Festival in October, our team was blown away. In our reactions, Carl Roberts said, “H Is For Hawk is a charming and moving film about life, loss, and the aftermath. Claire Foy excels in her role as Helen, while Brendan Gleeson is superbly cast as her father. The scenes with the Goshawk are outstanding and heartwarming throughout.”
And finally, I said, “Philippa Lowthorpe’s H Is For Hawk is a beautiful exploration of life and loss. Claire Foy dazzles alongside the incredible Denise Gough against the backdrop of some sumptuous cinematography. Sad, emotional, but ultimately uplifting, the film beats a warm, emotional drum.” You can catch our full review on the website soon.
RELEASE
This is terrific news. Our team had a wonderful time with this title, so it is great to see the film securing a UK cinema release. The film is a wonderfully uplifting exploration of life and loss—get ready for a fantastic start to 2026. Just be sure your animal husbandry is in full flow.
H if For Hawk swoops into UK cinemas on January 23rd from Lionsgate.
Meet Phil Roberts! He’s the dedicated owner, daily content manager, and editor-in-chief of The Future of the Force. Phil is a budding novelist who turned his passion toward writing about the franchises he loves back in 2016. He’s a huge fan of all things Star Wars, Batman, DC, Marvel, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies. Phil is a BFI-accredited journalist and a distinguished member of the Film Critics Association UK.
If he’s not catching a movie at the cinema, you can bet he’s streaming something just as awesome!
