Slow West is the Sundance award-winning western adventure set in 19th Century Colorado and shot on location in New Zealand's South Island.

Starring Michael Fassbender, Slow West is a 19th century American frontier story about a teenager on a journey to find the woman he loves, accompanied by Fassbender's mysterious Silas.

Slow West is the feature debut of BAFTA award-winning director, John Maclean and was co-produced by DMC Film, See-Saw Films (Top of the Lake, The King's Speech) and Rachel Gardner Films.

Turning New Zealand into the Mid-West

The tussock plains, silver birch forests and riverbanks in New Zealand's Mackenzie Country were used to create an incredibly convincing 19th Century Colorado in the film.

Academy Award®-winning producer, Iain Canning, explains why the team felt that New Zealand could stand in for the American West...

Slow West Featurette

Take a look at this behind-the-scenes featurette, including interviews with Michael Fassbender and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Slow West Featurette

Production Stills

Shooting in New Zealand

The shoot for Slow West consisted of six weeks in New Zealand and six days in Scotland for the scenes set in the Scottish Highlands. As well as providing the backdrop for the American mid-West, New Zealand contributed to the filming in a number of other ways.

The majority of the crew were New Zealanders, including the production designer, costume designer and make-up designer.

A New Zealander, Caren Pistorius, played the female lead as Jay's love interest, Rose Ross.

Twizel was the base for the crew during the shoot and the film shot in and around the Mackenzie Basin.

Check out this fantastic article from The Location Guide about the experience of shooting the film in New Zealand.

Clips from the Film

Jay Meets Silas - a scene from Slow West

There's More To Life Than Surviving - scene from Slow West

Silas and Jay Dry Off - a scene from Slow West