The Eagle Huntress is the true story of a 13-year-old Mongolian girl who defied 2,000 years of history to become the first female eagle hunter in her community.
If you’re not already aware of Aisholpan Nurgaiv and her eagle, now is the time to jump on this particular bandwagon.
The documentary titled The Eagle Huntress, which tells an incredible true story, debuted at Sundance last month to rave reviews. Star Wars: The Force Awakens‘ Daisy Ridley, has jumped on as executive producer, and Deadline has learned that she will also narrate this empowering tale.
According to the doc’s summary, “The Eagle Huntress is the true story of Aisholpan, a Mongolian girl who strives to become the first female Eagle Hunter in 2,000 years of male-dominated history. Under the tutelage and support of her father and her grandfather, she learns all aspects of this ancient tradition.” It is directed by Otto Bell.
Not only is the documentary on its way to a wide release with Sony set to distribute, but according to Deadline, several companies are currently warring over who gets to turn Aisholpan’s story into an animated feature. Daisy Ridley is also rumored to be voicing the main character in the animated adaptation.
No wonder this story is taking off in such a major way — it’s rare that a documentary tells a story which may as well have been the plot of a YA novel, except it all just happens to be true.
Aisholpan’s family lives in the Altai Mountains of Northwestern Mongolia, which is one of the most scarcely populated areas of the world. Because of the inhabitants’ isolation, Aisholpan has grown up in a society with strong traditions and ancient customs — one of these customs is that only men can be eagle hunters, as women are considered too fragile for the task.
But Aisholpan, aged only 13, sets out on an incredible journey to capture and train an eagle of her own: The documentary shows her from the very beginning as she captures a baby from a nest, tames and raises it, and trains for the annual Golden Eagle Festival. As the first female eagle hunter in 2,000 years, and with such an incredible success story, we’re not surprised that Hollywood is jumping on this doc with so much enthusiasm.
It’s a wonderful, empowering tale to share with the world, and we can’t wait to see The Eagle Huntress for ourselves.
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