Silva Screen Records is thrilled to announce the release of H Is For Hawk (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) with an outstanding original score by Ivor Novello–nominated composer Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch. Following her acclaimed work on All of Us Strangers and Living, Levienaise-Farrouch brings a new emotional dimension to Philippa Lowthorpe’s adaptation of Helen Macdonald’s beloved memoir. Drawing on her own experiences of loss, she crafts music that mirrors the film’s meditation on grief, nature, and the fierce bond between father and daughter, an intimate yet untamed sound world as striking and alive as the hawk at its center.
Emilie reflects on the score “From my earliest conversations with Philippa, it was clear that the music for H Is For Hawk needed to mirror Helen’s perspective, both in her emotional life and in her relationship with nature. What began as an intimate chamber idea grew into something far more expansive once I saw the footage of the goshawk flying and hunting. Working with the 12 Ensemble, an unconducted string group, we used unusual tunings, extended techniques, and organic sound manipulation to create a score that feels like it’s breathing, as unpredictable and alive as the hawk at the heart of the film.”
H is for Hawk follows Helen (Foy), who, after the sudden death of her father (Gleeson), loses herself in the memories of their time birding and exploring the natural world together and turns the ancient art of falconry—rooted in European tradition—training a wild goshawk named Mabel to navigate her profound loss. But as she teaches Mabel to hunt and fly free, Helen discovers how deeply she has neglected her own emotions and life. What begins as an act of endurance transforms into an intimate journey of resilience and healing.
ABOUT EMILIE LEVIENAISE-FARROUCH
Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch is an Ivor Novello, BIFA nominated and HMMA winning composer and artist, living in London. Emilie has scored the BAFTA, Golden Globe and Oscar nominated feature, Living, starring Bill Nighy and Aimee Lou Wood, released with Sony Picture Classics. More recent work includes the score for The Agency (Paramount+ series directed by Joe Wright), Fleur Fortuné’s feature debut The Assessment, H is For Hawk, the new film by Philippa Lowthorpe which was presented at the 52nd Telluride Film Festival. Emilie also scored Searchlight Pictures, BAFTA nominated feature, All of Us Strangers.
Previous credits include The Forgotten Battle, which was the highest streaming film worldwide on Netflix during the weeks of its release, and Censor, released by MGM, with the score released on vinyl and digitally by Invada Records (The Power of the Dog, Monos, Moonlight). Emilie’s other credits include Sarah Gavron’s BAFTA winning coming of age feature Rocks, and Harry Wootliff’s BAFTA-nominated debut feature Only You, with the soundtrack receiving over 4 million streams on Spotify. In 2023, she scored Nathaniel Martello White’s The Strays for Netflix, which topped the platform charts worldwide.
Emilie has collaborated with visual artists Danica Dakic, Alice May Williams and Natasha Caruana on music for video installations exhibited at Jerwood Project Space, Speke Hall, The ODI, and Arles Photo Festival. In 2015, was commissioned to create a sound-walk for London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. She has been commissioned by multiple classical instrumentalists to compose pieces for their repertoire.
TRACKLIST
- Feathers
- Feathers Variation
- It’s Dad
- Chapel Of Rest
- Trimming The Tree
- I want A Goshawk
- First Day With Mabel
- She’s Not Eating
- Call You Mabel
- Have To Be Patient
- Library
- Rabbit Hunt
- Playing
- Hunting Rush
- You Don’t Seem Fine
- Eulogy
- Mabel Suite
