The Eagle Huntress

Play trailer

1:07

The Eagle Huntress

G

2016

1h 27m

Documentary

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

125 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl, trains to become the first female in 12 generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter and rises to the pinnacle of a tradition that has been handed down from father to son for centuries. While there are many old Kazakh eagle hunters who vehemently reject the idea of any female taking part in their ancient tradition, Aisholpan's father, Nurgaiv, believes that a girl can do anything a boy can, as long as she's determined.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Effectively stirring and bolstered by thrilling visuals, The Eagle Huntress uses its heartwarming message to fill up a feature that might have made for an even more powerful short film.

Read Critics Reviews

Stephen Romei

The Australian

03/17/2017

4/5

Perhaps the director has fudged it a bit, but his intention was to make a beautiful film about one girl from a place and a culture we know little about. That he has done.

Go to Full Review

Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

03/15/2017

2.5/5

Can we call this documentary, or is it some kind of hybrid, when so much of it is constructed for the camera?

Go to Full Review

Kate Erbland

IndieWire

01/02/2017

B+

A soaring, sweet documentary that welcomes its audience into an unexpected new arena.

Go to Full Review

David Bax

Battleship Pretension

01/04/2021

The Eagle Huntress provides meaning. Sadly, it does so via mostly forgettable platitudes.

Go to Full Review

Joanne Laurier

World Socialist Web Site

08/13/2020

The Eagle Huntress is a lively and unusual encounter with a remote population and their customs...

Go to Full Review

David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

06/09/2020

A hypnotically lensed coming-of-age tale.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Matthew R

@RT52830269 Jan 4

As beautiful as it was all i want to say is, poor fox.

See more

Stephen C

@bob25009 05/30/2025

A successful documentary movie in just 1 hour and 27 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See more

Georgan G

@RT98616417 09/08/2024

While this really isn't a documentary per se, it is shot so beautifully, with such amazing scenry, plus an inside look at a fascinating culture. And, the relationships are touching.

See more

Maxim K

@Max375 04/16/2023

Perfect score, perfect scenery and animals

See more

Gina W

@RT47387387 05/17/2020

Good movie for everyone.

See more

04/09/2019

The scenery in this isn't the only thing of beauty, the relationship between Aishlopan, the eagle huntress and her father is so endearing, and Aishlopan is adorable. I was just willing her to succeed all the way through, so thrilled that the Eagle festival panel judged her fairly. It would be great to have a catch up with her in a few years to see what she is doing. I just loved that Universal 'look' that Aishlopans Mother gives her Father when she starts talking about going to the Eagle Festival :)

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Otto Bell

Director

Daisy Ridley

Narrator

Aisholpan Nurgaiv

Actor

Rys Nurgaiv

Actor

Stacey Reiss

Producer

Sharon Chang

Producer

Bears

88%

78%

Bears

Watchlist

Monkey Kingdom

93%

76%

Monkey Kingdom

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Monkey Kingdom

African Cats

73%

77%

African Cats

Watchlist

Chimpanzee

74%

75%

Chimpanzee

Watchlist

Cave of Forgotten Dreams

96%

73%

Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Eagle Huntress: Trailer 2

1:07

The Eagle Huntress: Trailer 1

1:39

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl, trains to become the first female in 12 generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter and rises to the pinnacle of a tradition that has been handed down from father to son for centuries. While there are many old Kazakh eagle hunters who vehemently reject the idea of any female taking part in their ancient tradition, Aisholpan's father, Nurgaiv, believes that a girl can do anything a boy can, as long as she's determined.

Director: Otto Bell
Producer: Stacey Reiss, Sharon Chang, Otto Bell
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Stacey Reiss, Sony Pictures Classics, 19340 Productions, Kissaki Films
Rating: G
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 2, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 7, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.2M
Runtime: 1h 27m