The trailer for Lena Dunham 's new documentary about Hilary Knight , the artist who illustrated the famed Eloise children 's books , has been unveiled , five weeks after it was screened at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival . The 36-minute HBO film , which profiles the esteemed 88-year-old New Yorker and his storied career , first came about in 2013 after Mr Knight heard that Miss Dunham , 28 , had a tattoo of Eloise on her back , and wrote to the Girls creator to initiate contact . Miss Dunham , who made It 's Me , Hilary : The Man Who Drew Eloise with her Girls co-producer Jenni Konner , has long cherished the popular book series , written in the 50s by author Kay Thompson and chronicling the misadventures of a precocious six-year-old girl who lives in New York 's Plaza Hotel . Scroll down for video . Trailer : The HBO documentary , in which Lena Dunham ( L ) profiles Eloise illustrator Hilary Knight , 88 , first came about after he contacted the Girls star about the tattoo of the fictional character she has on her back ( R ) The trailer hints at the close friendship which ultimately formed between Miss Dunham and Mr Knight , showing them larking around and filming one another , Miss Dunham in one clip donning an Eloise-style wig . Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter , the famed illustrator said of Miss Dunham : 'It was as though I had known her all my life . We totally bonded . ' Miss Dunham admits she closely relates to the fictional character Mr Knight brought to life all those years ago . 'Eloise is the p****d off little riot girl in all of us , ' she says fondly , while the film 's director Matt Wolfe describes Eloise as ' a punky feminist icon from the 50s , drawn by a man in his mid-twenties ' . Bond : The trailer hints at the close friendship which ultimately formed between Miss Dunham and Mr Knight , showing them larking around with Miss Dunham donning an Eloise-style wig ( pictured ) Kindred spirit : Mr Knight ( L ) wrote to Miss Dunham ( R ) in February 2013 and praised her as a 'smart , sassy fan ' who 'definitely understands ' Eloise 's character . According to the film 's synopsis , Mr Knight is 'as remarkable a character ' as Eloise herself . 'Temperamental , flamboyant , on the one hand fiercely private and on the other desperate to make his legacy known ' , it states . 'What emerges is a portrait of an artist stunted by early success and haunted by personal failures , and deeply devoted to his most famous creation ' . Team : Miss Dunham ( C ) made the film with her Girls co-producer Jenni Konner ( L ) and director Matt Wolfe ( R ) Still popular : The classic children 's book series was penned by author Kay Thompson in the 50s . The film also touches on Mr Knight 's lengthy battle with Eloise 's author , Kay Thompson , over the rights to the character . Ms Thompson , who lived in the Plaza herself and is speculated to have based Eloise on her goddaughter , Liza Minnelli , died in 1998 at the age of 88 . Mr Knight wrote to Miss Dunham about her Eloise tattoo in February 2013 . His later stated : 'First , I must say how pleased I am for you and all your awards and new plans . 'To know a smart , sassy fan who definitely understands this child is a thrill for me . ' The tattoo in question was Miss Dunham 's very first inking , which she had done in a New Mexico strip mall when she was 17 . 'That was my first tattoo because it felt like the only thing that I knew I would never get sick of , ' she told The New York Daily News last month at the film 's Sundance premiere . 'My childhood affinity for her never wavered , and I felt so connected to the character , and tattoos are about self-expression and self-knowledge , and that seemed like the perfect entrée into this . ' It 's Me , Hilary : The Man Who Drew Eloise premieres on HBO March 23 at 9pm .
The 36-minute film , It 's Me , Hilary : The Man Who Drew Eloise , premieres on HBO on the 50s . Produced by Girls creator Lena Dunham , it profiles the life of Hilary Knight , who illustrated the popular Eloise children 's book series in March 23 . Mr Knight approached Miss Dunham in 2013 after hearing about the tattoo she has of Eloise on her back , igniting a close friendship .