Meek's Cutoff (film)

Meek's Cutoff
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKelly Reichardt
Screenplay byJonathan Raymond
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyChris Blauvelt
Edited byKelly Reichardt
Music byJeff Grace
Production
companies
  • Evenstar Films
  • FilmScience
  • Harmony Productions
  • Primitive Nerd
Distributed byOscilloscope Laboratories
Release dates
  • September 4, 2010 (2010-09-04) (Venice)
  • April 8, 2011 (2011-04-08) (U.S.)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Downriver Nez Perce
Budget$2 million
Box office$1.2 million

Meek's Cutoff is a 2010 American Western historical survival film directed by Kelly Reichardt and starring Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Will Patton, Shirley Henderson, Neal Huff, Tommy Nelson, and Rod Rondeaux. The story is loosely based on a historical incident on the Oregon Trail in 1845, in which frontier guide Stephen Meek led a wagon train on an ill-fated journey through the Oregon High Desert along the route later known as the Meek Cutoff in the western United States.

The film was shown in competition at the 67th Venice International Film Festival. The film is formatted in the Academy ratio (1.37:1), a standard used in many classic Westerns.