Jacob Cartwright & Nick Jordan are artists and film-makers who have been collaborating since 2003. Between Two Rivers is their debut feature-length documentary, having previously directed a number of short films. Their practice is cross-disciplinary, encompassing video, drawing, found objects, painting, photography, publications and events. In 2010, the artists presented a solo exhibition, Cairo: The Breaking Up of the Ice, at Cornerhouse, Manchester UK, and completed a series of short films centred on the writings of the 19th century artist-naturalist John James Audubon, The Audubon Trilogy: Delineations of American Scenery & Manners (published by Dedecus, 2010). Cartwright and Jordan's films were the subject of a retrospective at the 2010 London Short Film Festival, where their Audubon film New Madrid was awarded best experimental film.

Cartwright & Jordan’s recent film festivals and exhibitions include Documenta, Madrid; West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival (awarded Best Documentary), Darwin's Eye, Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art (INHA), Paris; Lines of Desire, Oriel Davies Gallery, Newtown; Voices From The Water Film Festival, Bangalore, India; Art, Science & the Origin of Species, Ohio State University, Columbus, USA; The New York Film Festival; 3rd Beijing Independent Film Festival, China; Practical Truths, Castlefield Gallery, Manchester; Fourteen Interventions, Swedenborg House, London; Rub-a-dub-dub, St.Gallen, Switzerland.
Jacob Cartwright and Nick Jordan are based in Manchester, UK

"Cairo took us by surprise. We came across its abandoned downtown by chance and were astonished by its haunting beauty; the derelict stores and crumbling facades of this once thriving centre of river commerce are disconcerting but highly seductive. The town has both a dramatic and melancholic aura, which, as filmmakers, we were immediately drawn to. However, we soon discovered that it is far more than a ready-made film-set, and much less the deserted 'ghost-town' it is often described as. Cairo is a community, albeit one beset with many troubles and facing a precarious future.

"Whilst it offers a striking example of the economic and social pressures facing many small-towns, Cairo is additionally burdened by the onerous weight of a troubled and dark past, with its citizens playing a front-line role in the Civil Rights struggle. We were privileged to meet many people who were willing to share their experiences and knowledge with us, revealing a complex story of boom and bust, fires and floods. The fallout from Cairo’s hardship, conflicts and legacy of racial discrimination is all too evident, in this unique town wedged between the two rivers, at the confluence of America."

- Jacob Cartwright & Nick Jordan

For more on the artists' work see www.nickjordan.info