Now Instant presents a double bill of Harry Lawson’s experimental documentary Stepney Western and Kelly Reichardt’s revisionist Western Meek’s Cutoff.

Stepney Western is an experimental documentary by Harry Lawson, made in collaboration with a group of young inner-city horse riders from Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Recasting their neighbourhood as the Wild West, the film sits at the porous boundary between fact and fiction, combining recontextualised iPhone clips shot by the riders and archival material with Lawson’s own footage. It is loosely centred on their Alternative Provision programme — a unique alternative for young people in England who struggle in mainstream education settings.

“Gold does not hydrate.” Just one of the keen observations in Meek’s Cutoff, a Western tracing the lives of three pioneering families lost on the Oregon plains in 1845. Their search for a better life in the West is quickly reduced to a simple quest for water. In this context, the arid prairies and wind-battered faces possess a cruel beauty.

Please note: seating is limited. Box Office opens thirty minutes prior to the listed showtime. Guests may add their name to the standby list upon arrival. Online ticket sales will be honored up until 15 minutes after the scheduled showtime; at that time, any unclaimed seats will be released for in-store purchase on a first-come, first-served basis. All Sales Final.