Finding Laredo (Short film, 2021)

It is not easy being a cowboy in the UK. In mourning the loss of his mum, 26 year old Colin has turned to his persona "The Northwick kid" to cope, creating a rift between him and his father in the process. After being fired from his job as a traffic warden, the pair's unsolvable differences come to a head and Northwick decides to leave home in search of a new life in Laredo, "the UK's only wild western town - in Kent". Although he bumps into some interesting characters on his travels, Laredo, unfortunately, does not live up to expectations. While attempting to break up a fight between two cowboys, Northwick learns that the town is in fact a tourist trap and is hauled away by security for interrupting a performance. Northwick winds up at the police station and phones home. Malcolm, shocked by the loss of his son's Western accent, comes to collect him. Seemingly giving up his rootin' tootin' cowboy ways, the father and son begin to understand each other better. A western in the UK may seem like an unconventional film but we are hoping one that will stand out from the crowd and will be incredibly fun to make and to watch. It is a filled-with-love homage to the western genre and the culture surrounding it. It takes from the aesthetic and form of westerns and places them in typically British settings. Above all, it is a story about family and loneliness that gives way to understanding and re-connection.