Released by Picturehouse Entertainment on 9 June 2023.

When we first saw War Pony it instantly felt like we were watching more than a cool film, with a great soundtrack (which is is!). It felt like we were looking though a window to a way of living. It is one of those films which stays with you and the more you peel it back, the more you find.

There is so much to discover about the people who made it, the stories it tells and even the actors who appear on screen.

So what do you need to know before you rush out and experience War Pony?

War Pony is the directorial debut of Gina Gammell and Riley Keough. You might know Riley from Amazon Prime Video hit Daisy Jones and the Six, but did you know she is the granddaughter of Elvis Presley?.

You will experience stunning performances from first-time actors Jojo Bapteise Whiting and LaDainian Crazy Thunder, in what is a raw coming-of-age tale of two Oglala Lakota men growing up on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

23-year-old Bill (Whiting) is determined to achieve his conception of the ‘American Dream’ in some capacity, whilst 12-year-old Matho (Crazy Thunder) is desperate to grow up. However, in striving for adulthood Matho’s ill decision making turns his life upside down as he finds himself unequipped to deal with the harsh realities of the world around him.

"The tenderness, wisdom and instinct to survive of two teenage males is beautifully observed in actor-turned-director Riley Keough’s debut feature"
- THE Guardian

War Pony feels so real because it is. The movie is the result of years of collaboration with members of the Pine Ridge Reservation. Back in 2015, whilst Keough was working on Andrea Arnold’s American Honey, she befriended two extras, Franklin Sioux Bob and Bill Reddy and introduced them to Gammell. Using Bob and Reddy’s life experience to inform the script, the War Pony team ran writing workshops and improv sessions and also met hundreds of locals in the community in order to make the story authentic.

Seven years later, War Pony is finally hitting our screens and you need to see it.

Don’t Miss!

ps. War Pony is also the next screening at The Pictures - 7th June at 8pm for an 8:30pm start. Be quick and grab a ticket.

The Pictures is our passion project.

We put on free screenings (in London or Manchester) of films we want to share.

Sometimes in a cinema, sometimes in other places… always with a great crowd.

Screenings are first announced on email, so get yourself on that list!