Tell It to the Bees

In June 2012, the original screenplay written by Irena Brignull was presented to the British Film Institute (BFI).[8] Funding for the project was thereafter secured from the BFI Film Fund and Creative Scotland.[9][10][11] The initial production budget in 2015 was £5 million.[12]

In May 2017, the producers announced that Holliday Grainger was to star in the film.[13] In August 2017, Anna Paquin joined the cast as Doctor Jean Markham.[14][15][16] Unlike the novel, which is set in Yorkshire, the film takes place in northern Scotland.[9]

Tell It to the Bees is produced by Reliance Entertainment Productions 8, Archface Films, Taking A Line For A Walk, Riverstone Pictures, Cayenne Film Company, Motion Picture Capital; and co-produced by Filmgate Films, Twickenham Studios and Film i Väst.[17] Film Constellation handled international distribution rights.[13][10][18]

The North American rights were acquired from Film Constellation by Good Deed Entertainment on 30 October 2018.[19] Distribution rights for Germany, Spain, Korea, and Taiwan were sold on 4 November 2018,[20] followed by rights to Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, and Poland on 7 February 2019, as well as acquisition by Vertigo Releasing for the United Kingdom.[21]

Principal photography began on 10 August 2017 in Scotland,[10] with filming near Stirling.[22][23]

In the U.S., the film was made available as VOD on 3 May 2019.[6]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 54% rating based on 56 reviews by professional critics, and an average rating of 5.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Tell It to the Bees is well-acted and well-intentioned — but often undermined by its frustratingly didactic storytelling."[30] On Metacritic, the film received a score of 50/100 based on 13 reviews from critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[31]