PRESENTS

MEEK’S CUTOFF

OFFICIAL SELECTION
2010 Venice International Film Festival
2010 Toronto International Film Festival
2011 Sundance Film Festival

Directed by Kelly Reichardt

Screenplay by Jon Raymond

Starring
Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Will Patton, Zoe Kazan, Paul Dano,
Shirley Henderson, Neal Huff, Tommy Nelson and Rod Rondeaux

Running time: 104 min

Opens in New York April 8, 2011 with Rollout to Follow.
Rated: PG for some mild violent content, brief language, and smoking

DISTRIBUTOR CONTACT: PUBLICITY CONTACTS:

Dan Berger Jessica Edwards
Oscilloscope Laboratories Film First Co.
511 Canal Street #5E 68 Jay St, #304
New York, NY 10013 Brooklyn, NY 11201
O: 212.219.4029 ext. 24 917-620-8529
F: 212.219.9538 [email protected]
[email protected]
Kia Muhammad
Film First Co.
68 Jay St, #304
Brooklyn, NY 11201
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: 917-620-8529
http://www.meekscutoff.com [email protected]
 SYNOPSIS

The year is 1845, the earliest days of the Oregon Trail, and a wagon team of three
families has hired the mountain man Stephen Meek to guide them over the Cascade
Mountains. Claiming to know a short cut, Meek leads the group on an unmarked path
across the high plain desert, only to become lost in the dry rock and sage. Over the
coming days, the emigrants must face the scourges of hunger, thirst and their own lack
of faith in each other’s instincts for survival. When a Native American wanderer crosses
their path, the emigrants are torn between their trust in a guide who has proven himself
unreliable and a man who has always been seen as the natural enemy.

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 NOTES ON THE FILM

In Meek's Cutoff, as in her previous films, River of Grass, Ode, Old Joy and Wendy and
Lucy, Reichardt hews to a vision of small-scale cinema characterized by naturalism and
close observation of the dispossessed.

Loosely tagged as a Western, it could be tempting to look back to the so-called “anti-
Westerns” of the early 70s (McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Ulzana’s Raid, Bad Company, Dirty
Little Billy) as the antecedents of Meek’s Cutoff’s unorthodox take on the genre. But
unlike those films, for all their revisionism, this is not the Wild West; there are no sheriffs
to be found, no saloons, no cavalry.

Meek's Cutoff continues Reichardt's penchant for foregrounding those too often ignored
by society, history, and Hollywood--in this case, the women in the story. “Meek's Cutoff
is told from the vantage point of those without the power, from the people who don't get
a say in the decisions that are being made," says Reichardt. Even the film’s 1.37:1
aspect ratio could be seen as representing the viewpoint of the women looking at the
trail, curtailed by the narrow scope of the bonnets they wear. In researching the film,
Reichardt read diaries of women who made the migration west. "The women's stories
offer such a specific take on the history - one totally different from the one portrayed in
the Hollywood Western. The diaries really get across labor and the monotony of that
labor. They call to mind Flaherty's Nanook of the North more than say Ford's The
Searchers. You know: build the igloo, catch the fish, make the fire. Or in our case: set up
the tent, empty the wagon, build the fire, make the beans. The diaries paint a picture of
an endless landscape and a trance-like feeling of one day rolling into the next. So in
Meek's the routine of chores, the rattle of the carriages, the squeaky wheel, and the
intense silence that falls at night - those things are intended to reflect a journey
dominated by time and space and repetition. "

Jeff Grace’s score, which alternates between swooping cello glissandi and eerie clusters
of sustained tones, also sidesteps the usual musical evocations of Americana in a
Western (as well as the guitar-based instrumentals Reichardt used in Ode (1999) and
Old Joy). “I wanted to use instruments from the period and the Cayuse Indians were flute
players,” she explains. “Our direction was geared more towards ‘sound’ than music. I
didn’t want a score that would make the journey more romantic in any way. Jeff and his
cello player were putting rocks under the strings and distorting the sounds to the point
where I could hardly tell a flute from a guitar from a cello, which worked really well.”

Reichardt and writer Jon Raymond, who have worked together on Old Joy, Wendy and
Lucy and Meek's Cutoff, have referred to the three films as an “Oregon Trilogy,” and
thematically, Meek’s does share much with the other two. Paul Dano carving out the
word “lost” near the film’s beginning echoes the “I’m LOST!!!” fliers made in hopes of
finding Lucy, and Old Joy’s protagonists also get lost, on their way into the mountains.
The problematic wagon wheel recalls Wendy’s broken down car, and in both films a
sketchily planned journey deteriorates into a precarious situation marked by bad
decisions and increasing desperation. There are also political undercurrents running
through all three films. Old Joy was made in the shadow of the rise of the neo-
conservatives, Wendy & Lucy in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and numerous
reverberations of recent American politics can be felt, in a characteristically subtle way,
in Meek’s Cutoff. The clash of cultures in the U.S. occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan is
felt in the friction between the emigrents, Meek and the Indian. The arguments over the
necessity of violence to obtain information from a prisoner, the lingering doubts over an

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elected leader, and the basic question of whether to “stay the course” are topics in the
film that have also been prevalent in the national conversation of the past decade. The
film’s reticence about the settlers’ ultimate fate is perhaps its most timeless political
parallel (in suggesting that we have no more knowledge of what will become of Meek’s
traveling party than we do of what will become of the United States itself), but it’s also
consistent with where we leave the characters at the conclusions of Reichardt's other
films, still in transit, but now aware that they have to decide which direction to take next--
and wondering whether their lives are actually moving forward or not.

DISPATCHES FROM THE PRODUCTION

Production Designer - David Doernberg

I didn’t know anything about 1845. Did they have matches? Did they have guns? All I
knew was from a documentary I made on the Industrial Revolution in seventh grade, but
Kelly wanted real accuracy. She suggested a bunch of books to read, and I did… and
they were interesting so I read more. One thing that became clear was that there was no
one way that things were done, which was liberating but also frustrating. Everyone had
their own way of making his or her way across the country, especially the early travelers
like the ones depicted in Meek’s Cutoff who hadn’t learned from others’ mistakes.

We went to the Oregon Historical Society, which was a great resource. There were
exhibits and pictures of the rugged travelers and Meek himself. But the most interesting
part of my research was contacting the individuals out there that are devoted to
preserving our past. For a scene where Emily Tetherow grinds her morning coffee I
needed the right grinder. On the internet I found a club that collects antique coffee
grinders. When I told them what we were doing the club’s president said he needed
more specifics. “Where was the family from?” “What was their income?” It turns out that
every region in the country had a distinct type of grinder. A family from Indiana might
have one style where a family from Ohio would have another, each made by a local
blacksmith using distinct styles. You couldn’t just walk into Bed, Bath and Beyond and
grab a Krups.

Kelly and I agreed that having quilts in the movie might seem a little too Little House on
the Prairie-ish and it turns out that a lot of the emigrants used a more rugged woven
cloth called “overshot”. There was a woman in Illinois that loaned us some of her antique
overshot coverlets, which became the Tetherow and White families’ bedding.

The wagons were a big deal. There was a collector/restorer just a few hours from where
we were filming. We bought three antique wagons and hired him to build a replica of the
Tetherow wagon for us to use in a stunt. When the oxen handler arrived he deemed the
antique wagon’s running gear (the axels and wheels) too fragile to use with real oxen on
rugged terrain. At the last minute we switched our antique “boxes” on to his Hollywood
running gear. It was a compromise that had to be made.

In a small aircraft hangar at the Burns airstrip, Roger Faires our location manager
arranged for the art department to have an enclosed work area where we could paint
wagons, distress the canvas bonnets and tents and store all of the items we collected.
Local cattle ranchers would stop by to see what was going on with all these wagons and
antiques. One local young man became our intern and expert on wagons. Growing up
on a farm just up the road, Arly developed a fascination with these vehicles and helped
us outfit them with tools borrowed from his grandmother’s barn.

One of the most valuable resources we found was Mike Buckner, an historical re-enactor

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and muzzle-loading rifle collector. He ended up loaning us many items from his personal
collection such as lanterns, skins, and rifles. Mike likes to actually live like a pioneer,
which made calling him on the phone difficult. He was also the main instructor at
“Pioneer Camp”.

Kelly wanted the actors to be immersed in the realities that the emigrants faced and it
was important that they looked like they knew what they were doing. At the airport
hangar and adjacent fields we spent a week where Mike and the crew taught the actors
to build fires without matches (using a glass to focus sunlight on dry brush), pitch a tent,
load a wagon, fix a wheel, repair an axle, and load and fire a rifle. Michelle Williams
spent hours practicing her leap into the wagon and painstaking loading of gunpowder
and ammunition.

When Bruce Greenwood arrived he immediately jumped into his yet to be aged deerskin
suit and started smoking his Meek pipe. Not happy with the amount of weathering
applied to his tent, Bruce tied it to the back of a pick up truck and drove around the fields
dodging small aircraft until he was happy with the amount of dust and dirt stuck to
Meek’s teepee.

Will Patton wanted his character Solomon to have a very specific hammer; it would be
one of the things he chooses to keep when he is forced to pare down. He wanted
something simple and strong. We sent Arly back to his grandmother’s barn numerous
times until he found something that Will was happy with. He used this hammer at
Pioneer Camp to practice knocking the iron on and off his broken wagon wheels.

Rod Rondeaux arrived with his lasso in-hand. Award winning stuntman and expert horse
trainer, Rod ended up being another teacher at our Pioneer Camp.

Neil Huff asked me to show him what Mr. White’s Bible looked like, a few days before
filming I had yet to find one that seemed right. He had his wife send his family Bible
which turned out to be perfect.

Also at Pioneer Camp, all of the actors learned to lead oxen. The animal wranglers, a
group of genuine badass cowboys, taught them the proper terminology: “Haw” (turn left)
“Gee” (turn right) as they prodded them with sticks with the wagons bobbing along
behind. They did all of this wearing their long dresses and wool pants in heat that was
over one hundred degrees.

At Pioneer Camp we set up a collection of tools, blankets, pots and pans, sacks of
beans and all of the things the emigrants might need. Each couple “shopped” in our
warehouse and learned how to pack their wagon. Kelly wanted each couple to have a
distinct feel to their wagon and campsite. The Gately wagon was the largest and
considered a Winnebago by the standards of the time. Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan chose
the fanciest wares to outfit their wagon while the poor Whites were left with the dregs.

Before arriving in Oregon I received an email from Michelle Williams requesting

historically accurate knitting needles and yarn so she could practice and look like an
experienced knitter by the time we started filming. We were able to locate genuine
unbleached yarn and wooden needles for Michelle, Shirley and Zoe to work on their
knitting expertise.

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Vicki Farrell – Costume Designer
The email I received from Kelly on a freezing day in Jan 2009 went something like this:
“Would you like to come to the desert to work on a Western? There will be 3 women, 3
husbands, 1 child, 1 Indian, 1 crazy mountain man and 6 oxen. We have no money yet.”
The answer of course was yes! And of course it turned out to be one of my all time
favorite jobs. Just imagining what Kelly Reichardt would do with a western made me
very happy.

In our initial discussions Kelly said she pictured Emily Tetherow in a rose pink dress.
Everything spun out from there. Printed calicos in strong garish colors with names like
Cinnamon Pink and Cheddar Cheese were popular in the 1840’s. I started thinking about
what these dresses would look like sun bleached, dusty and worn. Kelly was scouting
and sending me these amazing pictures of the desert and I was sending her bleached
out swatches of calico. It all came together beautifully.

Sewing began in the hottest August on record at my friend Grace’s un-air-conditioned

studio in the Bronx. Fueled by popsicles from the local Western Beef, we cut and sewed
every day. Because sewing machines were yet to be invented in 1845, everything on the
exterior of the costumes was hand sewn. I learned the value of thimbles and always had
some handy. In the end our fingers were hard and cracked and calloused. We were
proud of them!

After 2 weeks everything was about halfway finished. It was all shipped off to meet us in
Oregon. There were about 10 more days to get the costumes completed.

Our plane landed in the tiny, shiny new Bend, OR airport in the middle of the night. Rives
Curtright picked us up and drove us to Burns. I convinced him to first take us to the 24 hr
superstore where I bought a sewing machine, ironing board, sewing supplies and a
couple of gallons of bleach. We then drove four hours into the desert night. The sky was
so beautiful. There was the sweet night smell of cooling earth and the things that grow in
it.

In the morning costume making began again in earnest at the Horseshoe Motel. It was a
beautiful thing to see bonnets and dresses drying and sun bleaching on the grassy field
outside our rooms.

Pioneer camp was where the clothes were going to get their authentic layer of dirt.
Things got a little messed up for me here because it was also the only time to fit the
costumes on the actors and get the alterations done. Driving to set on the first morning
of shooting Grace and I were still stitching on trim and hooks and eyes in the back of the
crew van. The clothes were bleached but not dirty enough. But after one day in the real
desert getting things dusty and dirty was no longer a problem. Every man, woman, child,
beast and vehicle was coated inside and out with a thick layer of desert dust. And dusty
we all remained for the 30 days and nights of shooting.

We started with sweltering days of high desert sun and ended with snow and actors
shivering under the humble horse blankets that we bought to keep them warm. Every
day was incredible, magical, difficult, unforgettable.

My last duty as costume designer for Meek’s Cutoff was on a Saturday afternoon in
Bend. On my way to the airport I went back to the 24 hr superstore and returned that
sewing machine no worse for the wear. Then I headed back east.

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David Rives Curtright - Driver
Thursday nights were our Friday nights at The Horseshoe Inn in Burns, OR. This is
where the cast and crew stayed during the filming of Meek's Cutoff. We had one night to
relax because we had one day off each week. The Inn was actually shaped like a
horseshoe with a large courtyard in the center that had an enormous fire pit. Everyone
would gather around the blaze on Thursdays to share their thoughts, laugh, play guitars,
and ruminate about the previous week's ordeals.

"Wow, that was crazy when the van almost went off into the ravine." "Bruce took a
pretty bad fall. I hope he'll be okay." "I can't believe we ran out of water yesterday
morning." "Man, Rod was giving me the chill bumps when he did his scene over the
canyon." "Every single vehicle has broken down on this shoot except Roger's Toyota."

One of our main locations was a salt flat that was an hour and a half from any sort of
civilization. There was no cell phone reception. Dust storms would come up and obscure
our vision. It would be hard to breathe. When those days of shooting were over, we
would pile in the van with a knocking engine and push it as hard as it would go across
the flat. The soft ground would force a fishtail. We'd skid to a halt just before the steel
gate that marked the property. The mood was somber on those rides back to town, but
everybody was glad to have gotten through one more day.

We had one last bonfire for the wrap party. At that point, each of us had empathy and an
understanding of what the actual emigrants went through. The big skies, landscape, and
colors of the west are certainly alluring. The desert has a way of turning inhospitable
fast. Often times we wondered, "Are we going to make it?"

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 CAST

Emily Tetherow................................................................................MICHELLE WILLIAMS

Stephen Meek ............................................................................... BRUCE GREENWOOD
Solomon Tetherow ...................................................................................... WILL PATTON
Millie Gately .................................................................................................... ZOE KAZAN
Thomas Gately ............................................................................................... PAUL DANO
Glory White.................................................................................. SHIRLEY HENDERSON
William White................................................................................................... NEAL HUFF
Jimmy White ...........................................................................................TOMMY NELSON
The Indian ............................................................................................. ROD RONDEAUX

FILMMAKERS

Director ...............................................................................................KELLY REICHARDT

Writer ........................................................................................................ JON RAYMOND
Producers .... NEIL KOPP, ANISH SAVJANI, ELIZABETH CUTHRELL, DAVID URRUTIA
Executive Producers ................... TODD HAYNES, PHIL MORRISON, RAJEN SAVJANI,
...........ANDREW POPE, STEVEN TUTTLEMAN, LAURA ROSENTHAL, MIKE S. RYAN
Cinematographer................................................................... CHRISTOPHER BLAUVELT
Production Designer .........................................................................DAVID DOERNBERG
Costume Designer.................................................................................... VICKI FARRELL
Locations ..................................................................................................ROGER FAIRES
Casting ............................................................................................. LAURA ROSENTHAL
Sound Design ............................................................................................. LESLIE SHATZ
Sound Mixer ............................................................................................. FELIX ANDREW
Composer ..................................................................................................... JEFF GRACE
Editor ..................................................................................................KELLY REICHARDT

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 CAST BIOGRAPHIES

MICHELLE WILLIAMS (“Emily Tetherow”)

Academy Award ® nominee Michelle Williams’ range of talents and experience have
shaped her career to the point where she has become one of Hollywood’s most sought-
after and respected actors

Williams can next be seen starring in Kelly Reichardt’s upcoming film MEEK’S CUTOFF,
marking her second collaboration with the director. The film premiered at the 2010
Venice Film Festival and is set for release in April of 2011. Williams recently wrapped
Sarah Polley’s TAKE THIS WALTZ starring opposite Seth Rogan and MY WEEK WITH
MARILYN starring as the iconic Marylyn Monroe opposite Kenneth Branagh.

Williams can most recently be seen starring in Derek Cianfrance’s BLUE VALENTINE
opposite Ryan Gosling. The film premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and was
an official selection at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. BLUE VALENTINE was released
by The Weinstein Company on December 31, 2010. Her performance in BLUE
VALENTINE has so far earned her a Golden Globe, Independent Spirit and Academy
Award nomination this year.

Williams' riveting performance in Ang Lee's BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, released in

2005, earned her a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award as well as her "Best
Supporting Actress" nominations from SAG, Golden Globe, BAFTA and ultimately the
Academy Awards ®. Williams was then nominated for a 2007 Independent Spirit Award
for "Best Actress" for her performance in Wim Wenders' LAND OF PLENTY. In her first
collaboration with Kelly Reichardt on her critically acclaimed independent film WENDY
AND LUCY, Williams' moving and evocative performance as "Wendy" garnered a
Toronto Film Critics Award for “Best Actress” in 2009 and her third Independent Spirit
Award Nomination.

In 2004, Williams shared a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination with her fellow actors
from Thomas McCarthy's THE STATION AGENT for "Outstanding Performance by a
Cast in a Motion Picture." In 2005, Williams was honored by the Motion Picture Club as
"Female Star of Tomorrow."

Williams' other film credits include Sharon Maguire's INCENDIARY, Charlie Kaufman's
SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK, Todd Haynes' I'M NOT THERE, Dan Harris' IMAGINARY
HEROES, Richard Ledes' A HOLE IN ONE, Ethan Hawke's THE HOTTEST STATE,
Julian Goldberger's THE HAWK IS DYING, Sandra Goldbacher's ME WITHOUT YOU,
and Andrew Fleming's DICK. Williams was last seen in Martin Scorcese's SHUTTER
ISLAND, opposite Leonardo DiCaprio.

On television, Williams starred opposite Chloë Sevigny in Martha Coolidge's critically

acclaimed HBO movie IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK 2. She also had a six-year run
as "Jen Lindley" on the WB's hit television series DAWSON'S CREEK. The series
premiered in 1998 and remained one of the WB's top-rated shows throughout its run.

On stage, Williams received glowing reviews for her portrayal of Varya in Chekhov's
THE CHERRY ORCHARD at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. She also achieved
critical acclaim for her run in Mike Leigh's SMELLING A RAT at the Samuel Beckett
Theatre and her off-Broadway debut in KILLER JOE.

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BRUCE GREENWOOD (“Stephen Meek”)
Bruce Greenwood stars as the title character, “Stephen Meek,” in Kelly Reichardt’s
MEEK’S CUTOFF. He was last seen in Bruce Beresford’s MAO’S LAST DANCER,
based on the best-selling memoir of Li Cunxin and opposite Paul Giamatti in the drama
BARNEY’S VERSION. His recent work includes the Steve Carell and Paul Rudd
comedy directed by Jay Roach, DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS. He previously appeared
with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Eric Bana in J.J. Abrams’ blockbuster STAR TREK.

He previously appeared in the Walt Disney action thriller NATIONAL TREASURE:

BOOK OF SECRETS as the President of the United States opposite Nicholas Cage.
He’s also well known for his portrayal of President John F. Kennedy in the riveting drama
THIRTEEN DAYS opposite Kevin Costner. The film earned Greenwood a Golden
Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Greenwood’s dual role opposite Cate Blanchett and Richard Gere in Todd Haynes’ Bob
Dylan biopic I’M NOT THERE earned the Independent Spirit Awards inaugural Robert
Altman Award. He also appeared alongside Denzel Washington and Val Kilmer in the
Tony Scott thriller DEJA VU. He starred opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman in CAPOTE,
which earned a Screen Actors Guild Nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast
in a Motion Picture. He appeared opposite Will Smith in the sci-fi box office hit I,
ROBOT. He played opposite Annette Bening in BEING JULIA, which earned him a
Genie Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He also starred opposite Ashley
Judd in the suspense thriller DOUBLE JEOPARDY, which earned him a Blockbuster
Entertainment Award nomination for Favorite Supporting Actor.

He has worked with acclaimed Canadian director Atom Egoyan three times. He had a
lead role in EXOTICA, which was nominated for the Palm D’Or at Cannes and named
Best Canadian Feature Film at the Toronto International Film Festival. He also starred in
THE SWEET HEREAFTER, which earned the Jury Grand Prize at Cannes and swept
the Genie Awards (including Best Motion Picture), while also earning him a Genie Award
nomination for Best Actor. Additionally he starred in the drama ARARAT.

Greenwood’s other film credits include A DOG NAMED CHRISTMAS, RACING

STRIPES, THE WORLD’S FASTEST INDIAN, EIGHT BELOW, RULES OF
ENGAGEMENT, HERE ON EARTH, THE LOST SON, THICK AS THIEVES,
DISTURBING BEHAVIOR, PASSENGER 57 and WILD ORCHID.

Greenwood also enjoys a diverse and successful career in television. He was the lead in
the HBO series JOHN FROM CINCINNATI. Earlier in his career he was a regular on the
award-winning series ST. ELSEWHERE. He also appeared on THE LARRY SANDERS
SHOW and starred in the cult series NOWHERE MAN.

WILL PATTON (“Solomon Tetherow”)

MEEK’S CUTOFF is Will Patton’s second film with Kelly Reichardt in two years following
their collaboration on WENDY AND LUCY in 2008. Patton was most recently seen in
Antoine Fuqua’s BROOKLYN’S FINEST. He appeared with Angelina Jolie in Michael
Winterbottom’s A MIGHTY HEART, Jodie Markell’s THE LOSS OF A TEARDROP
DIAMOND and Mark Pellington’s THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES. On stage, Patton
played the lead in Sam Shepard’s A LIE OF THE MIND. His performances in Richard
Foreman’s WHAT DID HE SEE and Shepard’s FOOL FOR LOVE earned him two Obie
Awards as Best Actor.

ZOE KAZAN (“Millie Gately”)

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Newcomer Zoe Kazan received high praises for her breakout role as Maureen Grube in
Sam Mendes’ REVOLUTIONARY ROAD opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.
An acclaimed theater actress and 2005 graduate of Yale University, Zoe made her New
York stage debut in 2006 in the Off-Broadway revival of THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN
BRODIE opposite Cynthia Nixon.

Kazan continued to shine on stage in 2007, starring in Jonathan Marc Sherman's

THINGS WE WANT, directed by Ethan Hawke and Playwrights Horizons’ production of
100 SAINTS YOU SHOULD KNOW, for which she received a Drama Desk Award
nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play, as well as the Lucille Lortel
Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress.

In January 2008, Kazan made her Broadway debut opposite S. Epatha Merkerson and
Kevin Anderson in a revival of William Inge's COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA. The New
York Times called her performance "first-rate," adding, "Ms. Kazan is terrific in conveying
the character’s self-consciousness." Following this role, Zoe was named the recipient of
the 2008 Derwent Award, honoring "the most promising female and male performers on
the New York metropolitan scene." Zoe is the only actor to be awarded the Derwent
Award for three roles in one year: COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA, 100 SAINTS YOU
SHOULD KNOW and THINGS WE WANT.

In the fall of 2009, Zoe was seen in the New York adaptation of the critically acclaimed,
London hit THE SEAGULL on Broadway. She starred as Masha, opposite Kristin Scott
Thomas and Peter Sarsgaard.

Zoe is also a talented playwright who’s family drama, Absalom, has been entered into
the Humana Festival at the Actor’s Theater of Louisville.

As Zoe continues her success in the theatre, she is also making a splash on the big
screen. In 2007 she was featured in Paul Haggis’ thriller, IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH
with Charlize Theron and Tommy Lee Jones and Gregory Hoblit’s FRACTURE with
Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling. The following year she appeared in Tamara
Jenkins’ THE SAVAGES with Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman and August
with Josh Hartnett. Kazan appeared in Rebecca Miller’s THE PRIVATE LIVES OF
PIPPA LEE with an all star studded cast including Julianne Moore, Keanu Reeves and
Blake Lively and I HATE VALENTINE’S DAY with Nia Vardalos and John Corbett, as
well as MEEK'S CUTOFF with Michelle Williams directed by Kelly Reichardt.

You can also see Zoe in Richard Linklater’s ME AND ORSON WELLES with Claire
Danes and Zac Efron; Bradley Rust Gray’s THE EXPLODING GIRL, for which she was
awarded Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film by the Tribeca Film Festival, Josh
Radnor’s HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE; and Nancy Meyers’ IT’S COMPLICATED
with Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.

In the spring of 2010, Zoe returned Broadway to star in Martin McDonagh’s A

BEHANDING IN SPOKANE opposite Christopher Walken, Anthony Mackie and Sam
Rockwell, as well as ANGELS IN AMERICA in the role of ‘Harper’ at the Signature
Theatre Company in New York.

Zoe resides in Brooklyn.

PAUL DANO (“Thomas Gately”)

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Acclaimed by many as one of the top actors of his generation, Paul Dano co-stars this
summer with Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, Sam Rockwell and Olivia Wilde in the sci-fi
western COWBOYS AND ALIENS (Universal Pictures, July 29, 2011), directed by Jon
Favreau from a screenplay by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

Dano is currently at work on the time travel thriller LOOPER with Bruce Willis, Emily
Blunt, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Jeff Daniels. Written and directed by Rian Johnson,
the Endgame Entertainment production follows a group of killers who send bodies of
their victims back in time. Next month, Dano begins shooting Paul Weitz’s adaptation of
Nick Flynn’s memoir ANOTHER BULLSHIT NIGHT IN SUCK CITY with Robert DeNiro.
The Focus Features release tells the story of a young writer (Dano) who takes a job at a
homeless shelter and discovers his long-absent father (DeNiro) searching for a bed.

In April, Dano appears in Kelly Reichardt’s period piece MEEK’S CUTOFF (Oscilloscope
Pictures), which follows a team of families who enlist mountain man Stephen Meek to
guide them through the Cascade mountains. In the forthcoming independent FOR
ELLEN, Dano plays a struggling musician who embarks on an overnight journey to
confront his former wife for custody of their child. Dano serves as executive producer
and stars in the film alongside Jon Heder.

Dano most recently appeared in Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini’s THE
EXTRA MAN with Kevin Kline, KNIGHT AND DAY with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz
and WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (Warner Bros), Spike Jonze’s adaptation of the
classic children’s book by Maurice Sendak.

In 2007, Dano garnered a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor opposite Daniel
Day-Lewis in THERE WILL BE BLOOD, Paul Thomas Anderson’s adaptation of the
Upton Sinclair novel Oil!. He played the charismatic young preacher and nemesis to
Day-Lewis’s oil prospector.

In 2006, Dano starred with Alan Arkin, Abigail Breslin, Steve Carell, Toni Collette and
Greg Kinnear in the Oscar-nominated box office hit LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, directed
by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. His performance as an angst-ridden physical
fitness/Nietzche devotee who has taken a vow of silence, earned him the Broadcast Film
Critics Association Award for Best Young Actor and an Independent Spirit Award
nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The ensemble earned Screen Actors Guild and
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards.

Dano won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance for his portrayal of a
teenager forced to navigate his adolescence virtually unsupervised in Michael Cuesta’s
coming-of-age drama L.I.E. (2001). Additional film credits include THE GOOD HEART
with L.I.E. co-star Brian Cox, GIGANTIC opposite Zooey Deschanel, a cameo
appearance in Ang Lee’s TAKING WOODSTOCK, Rebecca Miller’s THE BALLAD OF
JACK AND ROSE with Daniel Day-Lewis and Catherine Keener, Richard Linklater’s
FAST FOOD NATION, D.J. Caruso’s TAKING LIVES, THE KING with Gael Garcia
Bernal and William Hurt, EXPLICIT ILLS and WEAPONS.

Growing up in Manhattan and Connecticut, Dano began his career on the New York
stage with supporting roles on Broadway in “Inherit the Wind” opposite George C. Scott
and Charles Durning and “A Christmas Carol” with Ben Vereen and Terrence Mann. He
returned to the stage in 2007 with The New Group’s off-Broadway production of “Things
We Want,” directed by Ethan Hawke and co-starring Peter Dinklage, Josh Hamilton and
Zoe Kazan. Late last year, he co-starred with Jeffrey Wright and Mos Def in Lincoln

  12  
Center Theater’s Broadway production of John Guare’s freewheeling epic set in 1801
New Orleans, “A Free Man of Color,” directed by George C. Wolfe.

SHIRLEY HENDERSON (“Glory White”)

Shirley Henderson stars as “Glory White” in Kelly Reichardt’s MEEK’S CUTOFF.
Henderson grew up in Fife in Scotland and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and
Drama in London. After graduating she embarked upon a stage career that included
spells at the National Theatre under the direction of Sir Peter Hall, the Royal Court, the
Traverse, Hampstead, the Citizens and, most recently, in ANNA WEISS at the Whitehall
Theatre under the direction of Michael Attenborough.

Her first on-screen role saw her playing opposite Robert Carlyle in the popular TV series
HAMISH MACBETH, which led to roles in ROB ROY and TRAINSPOTTING. Michael
Winterbottom then cast Henderson in his film WONDERLAND, which sparked an
ongoing relationship that continued with performances in THE CLAIM, 24 HOUR PARTY
PEOPLE (for which she received a London Film Critics Circle award nomination), A
COCK AND BULL STORY and the upcoming SEVEN DAYS.

Following her role in Mike Leigh’s TOPSY-TURVY, Henderson attracted the first of many
award nominations and wins. These include a Scottish BAFTA for the highly acclaimed
FROZEN, for which she also won Best Actress at the Cherbourg-Octeville Film Festival
(she is the only actress to have won this award twice — the second time for BAFTA
nominated AMERICAN COUSINS), a British Independent Film Award nomination for
Frank van Passel’s VILLA DES ROSES and the Best Actress Award at the Bordeaux
Film Festival for WILBUR (WANTS TO KILL HIMSELF). She received a London Film
Critics nomination for INTERMISSION, the Best Actress Award at the Angers Film
Festival for her role in THE GIRL IN THE RED DRESS and in 2003 she was declared
the Bowmore/Scottish Screen/Sunday Times Actress of the Year.

Henderson appeared as Bridget’s sidekick “Jude” in BRIDGET JONES’ DIARY and

BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON. Other notable film work includes Deva
Palmier’s award-winning FISHY, Sally Potter’s YES and Alison Peebles’ award-winning
AFTERLIFE. She also starred in acclaimed director Shane Meadows’ ONCE UPON A
TIME IN THE MIDLANDS, which screened in the Directors’ Fortnight section of Cannes.
She starred in MARIE ANTOINETTE directed by Sofia Coppola, and she appeared in
HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS and HARRY POTTER AND THE
GOBLET OF FIRE as “Moaning Myrtle.” She was also seen in MISS PETTIGREW
LIVES FOR A DAY, co-starring with Frances McDormand, and she starred in critically
acclaimed director Todd Solondz’s LIFE DURING WARTIME.

Television work for Henderson includes Joe Wright’s award-winning production

CHARLES II: THE POWER AND THE PASSION (BBC), THE TAMING OF THE
SHREW, THE WAY WE LIVE NOW, E=MC2, DIRTY FILTHY LOVE, an episode of DR.
WHO and more recently, WEDDING BELLES, written by Irvine Welsh for Channel 4,
MAY CONTAIN NUTS and MISS MARPLE: MURDER IS EASY (ITV).

NEAL HUFF (“William White”)

Neal Huff stars as “William White” in MEEK’S CUTOFF. He previously played “Michael
Steintorf,” Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Baltimore, on HBO’s THE WIRE.

His film credits include: JACK AND DIANE, MONOGAMY, MOTHERHOOD, MICHAEL
CLAYTON, STEPHANIE DALEY, BERNARD AND DORIS, THE GOOD SHEPHERD,
DEALBREAKER, THE SHOVEL (winner, 2006 Tribeca and Woodstock Film Festivals,

  13  
Best Narrative Short), HOLLYWOOD ENDING, POSTER BOY, HAPPY ACCIDENTS,
BIG DADDY, LOVE WALKED IN and THE WEDDING BANQUET.

Other television credits include: FRINGE (Fox), JOHN ADAMS (HBO), recurring roles on
SIX DEGREES (ABC) and STARVED (FX), and LAW & ORDER.

Neal’s theatre credits include leading roles on Broadway in TAKE ME OUT (also at The
Donmar Warehouse and The Public Theatre), THE LION IN WINTER (Roundabout) and
THE TEMPEST (NYSF). Other credits include the recent world premiere of William
Inge’s THE KILLING (Summer Shorts/59E59), TRUMPERY (Atlantic), THE LITTLE DOG
LAUGHED (Second Stage), THE FOREIGNER (Roundabout), OCCUPANT (Signature,
with Anne Bancroft), RUDE ENTERTAINMENT (Drama Dept.), BLUE WINDOW (Barrow
Group/MCC), TROILUS AND CRESSIDA (NYSF), FROM ABOVE (Playwrights
Horizons) and others.

TOMMY NELSON (“Jimmy White”)

Tommy Nelson stars as “Jimmy White,” son of “Glory” and “William White,” in MEEK’S
CUTOFF. Tommy’s acting career began at the young age of seven, when he was cast in
Robert De Niro’s THE GOOD SHEPHERD. Now 12, he has appeared in several
independent films, including THEN SHE FOUND ME and THE TEN. Tommy is
interested in all aspects of film. In the future he hopes to attend film school and his goal
is to write and direct feature films. He’s currently working on his first screenplay.

ROD RONDEAUX (“The Indian”)

Rod Rondeaux stars as the Native American wanderer in Kelly Reichardt’s MEEK’S
CUTOFF. Rod has worked as a stuntman and actor on over 35 film and television
productions. He’s appeared with Russell Crowe in James Mangold’s 3:10 TO YUMA and
Will Smith in Barry Sonnenfeld’s WILD, WILD WEST. Other credits include John Irvin’s
CRAZY HORSE, TNT’s DreamWorks-produced INTO THE WEST, Ed Harris’
APPALOOSA, CBS’ COMANCHE MOON (adapted from Larry McMurtry’s novel), THE
SCORPION KING, Ron Howard’s FAR AND AWAY and THE MISSING, REEL INJUN,
Joe Johnston’s HIDALGO, Bruce Beresford’s AND STARRING PANCHO VILLA AS
HIMSELF, Chris Eyre’s SKINS and Kevin Costner’s THE POSTMAN. Rod grew up in a
traditional Crow and Cheyenne Indian family on the Crow Indian Reservation in
Montana. He has trained over 3,000 horses, and he previously traveled around the
country on the rodeo circuit. His skills have earned him an Outstanding Achievement in
Stunts Award from the First Americans In The Arts.

  14  
 FILMMAKER BIOGRAPHIES

KELLY REICHARDT (Director/Editor)

American landscapes and narratives of the road are themes that run throughout Kelly
Reichardt’s work. MEEK’S CUTOFF, shot on the dry plains of Oregon’s high desert,
offers a vision of the earliest days of American frontier culture. WENDY AND LUCY,
filmed along the railroad tracks that surround an Oregon suburb, reveals the limits and
depths of people’s duty to each other in tough times. Reichardt’s film OLD JOY is an
exploration of contemporary liberal masculinity, set in the tamed wilderness of the Pacific
Northwest. ODE, a super-8 retelling of the Legend of Billy Joe McAllister, is set around
the creeks and underpasses of the rural south. Her first feature, RIVER OF GRASS, was
shot in her hometown of Dade County, Florida. Sun-drenched highways, bus stations
and dilapidated motels were the denatured setting for this lovers-on-the-run story.
Reichardt is the recipient of a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship
and teaches at Bard College.

Director Filmography:
- MEEK’S CUTOFF (2010)
- WENDY AND LUCY (2008)
- OLD JOY (2006)
- TRAVIS (2004)
- THEN A YEAR (2002)
- ODE (1999)
- RIVER OF GRASS (1994)

JON RAYMOND (Writer)

Jon Raymond is the author of “The Half-Life,” a novel, and “Livability,” a collection of
stories, two of which became the films WENDY AND LUCY and OLD JOY. He is also
the co-writer of the forthcoming HBO miniseries MILDRED PIERCE.

NEIL KOPP (Producer)

Neil Kopp is a producer based in Portland, Oregon. His feature films include Kelly
Reichardt’s OLD JOY (2006), WENDY AND LUCY (2008) and MEEK’S CUTOFF (2010).
He also produced Gus Van Sant’s PARANOID PARK (2007).

ANISH SAVJANI (Producer)

filmscience, an independent film production company, was formed in November 2005 by
Anish Savjani. Since its inception, filmscience has produced ten feature films: Kelly
Reichardt’s MEEK’S CUTOFF, WENDY AND LUCY and OLD JOY; Joe Swanberg’s
ALEXANDER THE LAST, NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS and HANNAH TAKES THE
STAIRS; Geoff Marslett’s MARS; Bob Byington’s HARMONY AND ME; Spencer
Parsons’ I’LL COME RUNNING; and Steve Collins’ GRETCHEN. These films have been
nominated by Film Independent for three Spirit Awards. filmscience currently has a
number of projects by emerging and established independent filmmakers in production
and development, including a new documentary from Michael Palmieri and Donal
Mosher.

ELIZABETH CUTHRELL and DAVID URRUTIA (Producers)

Elizabeth Cuthrell and David Urrutia are co-founders of Evenstar Films. Cuthrell and
Urrutia wrote and produced the feature film JESUS’ SON, starring Billy Crudup and
Samantha Morton. JESUS’ SON premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, competed in
the Venice Film Festival (winner, Little Golden Lion, Ecumenical Award), and went on to
the Toronto Film Festival, the London Film Festival, New Directors/New Films, the Paris

  15  
Film Festival (winner, Best Actor, Billy Crudup), and many others. Cuthrell and Urrutia
produced the Off-Broadway premiere of Denis Johnson’s play SHOPPERS CARRIED
BY ESCALATORS INTO THE FLAMES, starring Will Patton and Michael Shannon, as
well as Roger Rees’ one-man show WHAT YOU WILL. Evenstar also conceived, wrote
and produced (along with Mary-Louise Parker) a series of public service announcements
called STOP THE HATE for the Ad Council, which urged tolerance for Arab-Americans
and people of color after the attacks of 9/11. STOP THE HATE was awarded the 2002
Courage Award, given by the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission. Films
in development include THE SISTERHOOD OF THE NIGHT, an adaptation of the novel
“Resuscitation of a Hanged Man,” DEVOTION and Cuthrell’s THE LANTERN INN.

  16  
 MEEK’S CUTOFF
--------------------------------- ---------------------------------

AN TOMMY
Evenstar Films NELSON
filmscience
Harmony/Primitive Nerd ---------------------------------
PRESENTATION
~and~
ROD
DIRECTED BY RONDEAUX
KELLY REICHARDT as the Indian

--------------------------------- ---------------------------------
PRODUCED BY
SCREENPLAY BY Neil KOPP
JON RAYMOND
---------------------------------
---------------------------------
PRODUCED BY
MICHELLE Anish SAVJANI
WILLIAMS
---------------------------------
---------------------------------
PRODUCED BY
BRUCE Elizabeth CUTHRELL
GREENWOOD &
David URRUTIA
---------------------------------
---------------------------------
WILL
PATTON EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Todd HAYNES
--------------------------------- Phil MORRISON

ZOE ---------------------------------
KAZAN
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
--------------------------------- Rajen SAVJANI
Andrew POPE
PAUL Steven TUTTLEMAN
DANO
---------------------------------
---------------------------------
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
SHIRLEY Laura ROSENTHAL
HENDERSON Mike S. RYAN

--------------------------------- ---------------------------------

NEAL
HUFF

  17  
 ---------------------------------

KELLY REICHARDT
CHRISTOPHER EDITOR
BLAUVELT
CINEMATOGRAPHER ---------------------------------

--------------------------------- CREW
co-producer
DAVID VINCENT SAVINO
DOERNBERG
PRODUCTION DESIGNER production coordinator
TANYA SMITH
---------------------------------
1st assistant director
VICKI CHRIS CARROLL
FARRELL MATT O’CONNOR
COSTUME DESIGNER
2nd assistant director
--------------------------------- KYLE EATON

ROGER ---------------------------------
FAIRES
LOCATIONS CREW
1st assistant camera
--------------------------------- STEPHEN MacDOUGALL

LAURA 2nd assistant camera

ROSENTHAL ELIZA PLUMLEE
CASTING
steadicam operator~b camera operator
--------------------------------- GREG SCHMITT

LESLIE ---------------------------------
SHATZ
SOUND DESIGN CREW
additional
--------------------------------- 1st assistant camera
JASON McCORMICK
FELIX
ANDREW additional
SOUND MIXER 2nd assistant camera
CHRIS STRAUSER
---------------------------------
camera loader
MARLENE SAVANNAH TELLER-BROWN
McCARTY
TITLE DESIGN camera intern
MADISON ROWLEY
---------------------------------
gaffer
JEFF EFREM PETER
GRACE
COMPOSER key grip
BRIAN SHOTZBARGER

  18  
 additional locations
swing MARK JARRETT
GREG WICK PAUL KOHLER
KYLE METZGER
historical consultants
additional grip M.E. BUCKNER
MATT SEMCHEE MICHAEL P. JONES

--------------------------------- script supervisor

GORDON BELL
CREW
art director storyboard artist
KAT UHLMANSIEK MICHAEL BROPHY

property master ---------------------------------

RYAN SMITH
CREW
assistant property master unit production manager
NATE SMITH BRETT CRANFORD

set dressers assistant

JOE RYNEARSON production coordinator
JASON RUFFOLO GEORGE ADAMS
KATE SMITH
additional
art intern 2nd assistant director
ARLY WILLIAMS ROSE LEIKER

--------------------------------- production accountants

ARPITA BANKER
CREW NICOLE HAWKINS
key hair~wig stylist
DAVID KENNEDY office production assistant
SARAH DEVERE
tailor
GRACE RYUNG KIM production office intern
KELLEN MOLICA
department head makeup
LEO WON ---------------------------------

key makeup CREW

LINDA ANDREWS production assistants
SAM GATY
makeup artist RIVES CURTRIGHT
JAMESPATRICK SMITH JR. MATT JAY
EVAN FRANULOVICH
--------------------------------- DAVID PARSON
JOHN PARSON
CREW SETH FRANKLIN
casting associate
MARIBETH FOX set interns
KALEN MENDENHALL
oregon casting PAUL PARSON
SIMON MAX HILL SOTIRIOS BAKOUROS
ROSARIO ESTRELLA

  19  
 BRAD DUNTEN
---------------------------------
caterers
CREW ALEX IN THE KITCHEN, INC
still photographers FRENCHY’S CATERING
ERIC HILL
SIMON MAX HILL medical supervisor
COREY WALTER SCOTT TUNING

main title illustration set medic

GUTHRIE McCARTY-VACHON GRETA EMANG

title embroidery ---------------------------------

MARLENE McCARTY
VICKI FARRELL CREW
production legal
--------------------------------- LANCE ROSEN
ROSEN LEWIS, PLLC
CREW
animal provider nez perce language translation
A-LIST ANIMALS JOAN BURNSIDE
KRISTEN PARR
animal trainers
CODY SMITH post-production supervisor
ALISON SMITH JOSHUA RAPPAPORT
MORGAN BATEMAN
SCOTT DAVIS 1st assistant editor
MIKE MORRIS GORDON BELL
DIANA SMITH TOMAS VENGRIS
ERIN SHELLEY
editorial tech consultant
stunt coordinator ERIC HILL
JASON RODRIGUEZ
---------------------------------
utility stunts
BRIAN DUFFY CREW
KHRISTIAN LUPO score produced by
JEFF GRACE & DAVE EGGAR
---------------------------------
cello
CREW DAVE EGGAR
dinner chef assistant
NICK VAN ATTA score published by
GREFF MUSIC PUBLISHING (ASCAP)
american humane
association representative ---------------------------------
BARBARA CARR
CREW
set teacher post production sound services by
MIKE BRANTLEY WILDFIRE POST

dinner chef re-recording mixer

SARA SUFFRITI LESLIE SHATZ

fire expert supervising sound editor

  20  
 JAVIER BENNASSAR

assistant sound editor

RYAN COLLINS

mix recordist
TIM LIMER

foley artist
ELLEN HEUER

foley mixer
JOSH REINHARDT

---------------------------------

CREW
digital intermediate services NEXT
ELEMENT by DELUXE

film processing of dailies by

DELUXE LABORATORIES
HOLLYWOOD

dailies telecine services by

DELUXE DIGITAL MEDIA

dailies colorist
TIM SAFARIK

digital dailies provided by

SAMPLE DIGITAL HOLDINGS, LLC

DI colorist
MIKE MOST

DI senior producer
DAVID WATERS

DI producer
DONNIE CREIGHTON

DI online editor
JON PEHLKE

---------------------------------

  21