Documentary, News

Sundance Hit ‘The Eagle Huntress’ Acquired by Sony Pictures Classics

“The Eagle Huntress” has found a home at Sony Pictures Classics.

The crowd-pleasing Sundance documentary chronicles a 13-year-old Mongolian girl’s attempt to challenge 2,000 years of tradition by becoming the first female Eagle Hunter.

Here’s the rather breathless (and somewhat exoticizing) copy from the press release:

“Aisholpan is a real life role model on an epic journey to win victory in a faraway land. Under the tutelage and support of her father and her grandfather, she learns all aspects of this ancient tradition, including taming her very own eaglet and training for the annual Golden Eagle Festival, which involves competing against 70 male Eagle Hunters. She even dreams of hunting in the frozen winters to prove that a girl can do anything a boy can, so long as she’s determined.

“The film is set amongst the magical Altai Mountains of Northwestern Mongolia — the most remote part of the least populated country on Earth. This little known world is rich in exquisitely preserved tradition, yet spoiled by an ignorance that is perpetuated by this isolation. For far too long, women have been seen as “too fragile” to hunt with an eagle. Aisholpan is out to prove them wrong and change history.

“’This is a spectacular, one of a kind movie. This young girl’s true story about her amazing skills with eagles is told in a fresh and exciting way. It will inspire audiences of all ages,’ said Sony Pictures Classics.”

We’re just glad this deal with Sony probably means this exciting documentary’s got commercial appeal.

In one of her Sundance 2016 dispatches, Melissa Silverstein confessed that “Eagle Huntress” became her new obsession. She continued, “Aside from being one of the most beautifully shot movies I have ever seen, this movie tells an incredible story of the first-ever girl trained to be an Eagle Hunter. This tradition has been passed down over time by and to men in remote villages in Mongolia, but 13-year-old Aisholpan Nurgalv has the calling. So her dad trains her to hunt. First step: she needs an eagle. Director Otto Bell, who found out about the eagle huntress from a BBC story and showed up on their doorstep to learn more about her, takes us on Aisholpan’s journey in her first time out hunting, as well as being a part of a large fair where all the eagle hunters compete. I dare you not to be inspired.”


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