Project Detail

The Thing with Feathers

The Thing with Feathers
The Thing with Feathers

Synopsis

Struggling to process the sudden and unexpected death of his wife, a young father’s hold on reality crumbles as a seemingly malign presence begins to stalk him from the shadowy recesses of the apartment he shares with his two young sons. What begins as a terrifying haunting, evolves into a battle of wills between a grieving family and their uninvited, unpredictable house-guest and tormentor; a man-like Crow, seemingly brought to life from the pages of Dad’s work as an illustrator.
Based on the award-winning novel 'Grief Is the Thing With Feathers' by Max Porter.
Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2025 - World premiere
Official Selection Berlin International Film Festival 2025 - European premiere
Official Selection Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2025
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2025

Details

Year
2025
Type of project
Features
Running time
137 min
Format
Digital
Director
Dylan Southern 1st Feature
Producer
Andrea Cornwell, Leah Clarke, Adam Ackland
Executive Producer
Mia Bays, Lee Broda, Thomas R Burke, Ben Coren, Charlie Gatsky, Sierra Garcia, Patricia Lawley, Nils Leonard, Ollie Madden, Adrian Politowski, Morwin Schmookler, Sean Wheelan
Editor
George Cashell
Screenwriter
Dylan Southern
Director of Photography
Ben Fordesman
Production Designer
Suzie Davies
Sound
Ronald Bailey, Joakim Sundstrom
Composer
Zebedee C. Budworth
Principal cast
Benedict Cumberbatch, David Thewlis, Henry Boxall, Richard Boxall, Sam Spruell, Vinette Robinson, Eric Lampaert

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

Supported by Film4

A Lobo Films (UK), SunnyMarch (UK), Align (US) production in association with LB Entertainment (US). Co-produced with Film i Väst (SE)

Sales Company

Page updates

This page was last updated on 7th October 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

No Women No Children No Women No Children

Director: Akporé Uzoh

Year: 2026

The aftermath of a sexual assault (rape). Exploring the deep-felt consequences for all involved. At its heart an epic story of a couple's fight for the survival of their love.

Five cheerleaders brandishing powertools in multi-coloured lighting, apparently screaming as if charging into battle Powertool Cheerleaders vs the Boyband of the Screeching Dead

Director: Pat Higgins

Year: 2022

A comedy horror musical... When a cursed amulet turns their rival boy band act into a screeching gang of zombies, a group of cheerleaders must learn to use their wits, friendship and assorted power tools to overcome their fears before a TV talent show takes a turn for the apocalyptic.

Elegy for the Lost Elegy for the Lost

Director: William Hong-xiao Wei

Year: 2025

Through the psychoanalytic and introspective voiceover of a young post-pandemic Chinese migrant in Europe, the film interweaves her private memories of intimacy with public narratives of resistance. As her reflections unfold, she and her community navigate secrecy, repression, survival, looming precarity, and displacement, all while confronting the personal cost of existing in a world that demands their silence.