Lena Dunham’s Medieval Coming-of-Age Movie ‘Catherine Called Birdy’ Unveils First Look, Release Date

Rebecca Rubin
·2 min read

Lena Dunham’s next film “Catherine Called Birdy” will play in theaters before landing on Amazon Prime.

The movie has been scheduled to open Sept. 23 in select cinemas and Oct. 7 on Amazon’s streaming service Prime Video.

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Dunham wrote and directed the medieval coming-of-age story, which is based on Karen Cushman’s children’s book. Bella Ramsey, best known for playing the fierce Lyanna Mormont in “Game of Thrones,” stars as the title character alongside a cast that includes Billie Piper and Andrew Scott.

Here’s the official logline: “The year? 1290. In the Medieval English village of Stonebridge, Lady Catherine (known as Birdy) is the youngest child of Lord Rollo and the Lady Aislinn. Her playground is Stonebridge Manor, a house that, like the family, has seen better days. Financially destitute and utterly greedy, Rollo sees his daughter as his path out of financial ruin by marrying her off to a wealthy man for money and land. But Birdy, like all the great teen heroines, is spirited, clever, and adventurous and ready to put off any suitor that comes calling in increasingly ingenious ways. Her imagination, defiance, and deep belief in her own right to independence put her on a collision course with her parents. When the vilest suitor of all arrives, they are presented with the ultimate test of love for their daughter.”

Dunham first announced plans to adapt the children’s book of the same name in 2014. In the time since, she popped up as a Manson girl in Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and wrote and directed “Sharp Stick,” her first film in a decade. “Sharp Stick,” a different coming-of-age story about a 26-year-old whose sexuality is stunted after undergoing a hysterectomy at a young age, garnered mixed reviews at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Before she created the acclaimed HBO series “Girls,” Dunham made a name for herself with her comedic drama “Tiny Furniture,” which premiered at South by Southwest Film Festival in 2010.

Dunham has referred to adapting “Catherine Called Birdy” as a passion project.

“[She] gets her period and her father basically says, ‘Well, it’s time for you to get married,’ and she’s like, ‘Uh, no,’” Dunham said nearly eight years ago. “But it’s hyper realistic and really pretty and it’s full of incest and beatings, but it’s a child’s story. I’ve been obsessed with it since I was a kid.”

Watch the teaser for “Catherine Called Birdy” below:

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