Doc About Flaco, Owl Who Escaped Central Park Zoo in Production at HBO

HBO Documentary Films is currently in production on a documentary about Flaco, the male Eurasian eagle-owl who gained worldwide attention after he was mysteriously set free in New York City in 2023.

Penny Lane (“Music Box: Listening to Kenny G”) will direct the untitled HBO documentary with producer Gabriel Sedgwick. Sandbox Films and Spinning Nancy are also producing the project.

The feature-length doc will explore how Falco, part of the largest species of owl in the world, was discovered missing from his cage at the Central Park Zoo in Manhattan. The film follows the surprising story of what happened when Flaco, who had lived his entire life in captivity, was released in New York City to the delight, concern, and fascination of millions in the city and beyond.  

“I’ve been deeply invested in Flaco from the instant my friend ran into him on the sidewalk on Fifth Avenue,” says Lane. “I lost many nights of sleep worrying about him and made deep connections with a group of dedicated birders who documented his extraordinary adventures. It is amongst the greatest honors of my life to work with Sandbox Films and HBO to share his remarkable story with the world.”

Lane and Sedgwick are enlisting the public’s help in sharing photos, videos, and personal stories about Flaco.

HBO did not reveal when the doc will be released.

Lane’s last doc, “Confessions of a Good Samaritan,” premiered at the South By Southwest film festival in 2023 and focused on Lane’s decision to give one of her kidneys to a stranger. Sandbox Films distributed the film in June 2024. The film was the first doc that Sandbox Films, which backs docus films about scientific inquiry, released theatrically.

HBO Documentary Films most recently released the third installment of “Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Movement.”