Preview by Jon Donnis
Lionsgate UK has set 23 January 2026 as the UK and Ireland cinema release date for H Is for Hawk, Philippa Lowthorpe's anticipated adaptation of Helen Macdonald's acclaimed memoir. A striking new trailer and artwork have also been released, offering a first look at the film's deeply emotional tone and its windswept landscapes.
Directed by Philippa Lowthorpe (Misbehaviour, The Crown) and co-written with novelist Emma Donoghue, the film stars Claire Foy as Helen, alongside Brendan Gleeson, Lindsay Duncan, Denise Gough, and Sam Spruell. Produced by Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, the project brings together an impressive creative team, promising a poignant and visually rich experience.
At its heart, H Is for Hawk follows Helen, a young academic whose life collapses after the sudden death of her father. Lost in grief and memories of their shared passion for birdwatching, she throws herself into the daunting task of training a goshawk named Mabel. What begins as a distraction soon becomes an all-consuming journey of survival, solitude, and spiritual renewal.
As Helen isolates herself in the quiet edges of Cambridge life, she fills her freezer with hawk food, silences her phone, and immerses herself in the raw world of predator and prey. Through her attempts to tame the fierce bird, she begins to confront her own wildness, exploring how love, loss, and nature intertwine in unexpected ways.
Both an elegy and a celebration, H Is for Hawk promises to be one of early 2026's most emotionally resonant releases, a meditation on the untidy beauty of grief, the power of nature, and the courage it takes to live again.
