Ep 212: Claire Foy and Philippa Lowthorpe talk H is for Hawk and the joys of messy women on screen

Philippa Lowthorpe, the writer-director behind H is For Hawk, and the film’s star, Claire Foy, join Anna Smith to discuss the moving adaptation of Helen Macdonald’s hit memoir, co-starring Brendan Gleeson, Denise Gough, Lindsay Duncan and Sam Spruell. Philippa speaks frankly to Anna about the film’s poetic embodiment of the experience of grief, which produces a story that is both powerful and inspiring. Claire and Philippa discuss the process of collaboration, and consider how the on-set dynamics allowed for an element of freedom in Claire’s performance. Claire’s embodiment of Helen is represented beautifully by Philippa, whose documentary background informed her process of capturing the moment. No film made with live, wild animals is without its challenges, and Claire and Philippa speak to Anna about the incredible experience of working with hawks on set, Claire’s own personal reflections of working with them, and the intense, ethical falconry techniques and training involved. Finally, Philippa and Claire discuss bringing the role of Helen to life in all her messy complexity with the support of the film’s producer Dede Gardner. This episode is in partnership with Lionsgate. H is For Hawk is in select UK cinemas on 23 January. Philippa Lowthorpe has also appeared on episodes 28 and 145 of Girls On Film, when she attended the Girls On Film Awards. Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here:

You can listen to Ep 212: Claire Foy and Philippa Lowthorpe talk H is for Hawk and the joys of messy women on screen online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Ep 212: Claire Foy and Philippa Lowthorpe talk H is for Hawk and the joys of messy women on screen is an episode from Girls On Film by Girls On Film.

This episode is 00:23:19 long.

This episode was published on Jan 20, 2026.

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