The Eagle Huntress

Nomadic tribes have roamed the mountains of Mongolia since long before borders were drawn, and before Djengis Khan established his empire in the 12th and 13th centuries. An ancient tradition has followed the Mongolian nomadic people: hunting with eagles. They catch an eaglet when it is approximately three months old, train it, and create a strong bond of trust between eagle and hunter. From the horseback, and together with their eagle, they hunt foxes in the mountains.

This documentary follows 13-years old Aisholpan, who lives in the Altai Mountains together with her family. Both her father and grandfather are great hunters, and having been fascinated with their eagles from an early age, Aisholpan dreams of becoming an eagle huntress herself. The problem is that according to tradition hunting is for men only, and certainly not for young girls. Therefore, the other hunters are very surprised when she participates in the annual eagle hunters’ competition, and they realise the scale of her talent!

The Eagle Huntress is a heart-warming story about a girl with a strong will, go-ahead spirit, and an impressive talent. And it takes a lot of skill to travel in the mountains of Mongolia: The mountainsides are steep, the distances on the steppes are long, and the winter is freezing cold. On the horseback, she goes hunting with her father in 40 degrees minus, with her 7 kilo heavy eagle on her arm, to convince the elders in the eagle hunter community that she does not lack in courage and toughness! Playing out in spectacular nature, this action-packed documentary will inspire viewers to follow their dreams, challenge stereotypes and prejudices, and to never give up. Silje Poulsen Viki

The Eagle Huntress is Otto Bell’s directorial debut. Coming from the advertisement business, he is now traveling the world with his new film, which was selected to the high-ranking festival Sundance and has been nominated for a BAFTA-award (the British version of Academy Awards).