Peter Richardson is an American

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

. A native of

Philomath, Oregon Philomath ( ) is a city in Benton County, Oregon, United States. It was named for Philomath (Greek, "love of learning") College. The population was 5,838 as of the 2023 census population estimates. It is part of the Corvallis, Oregon, Metropo ...

, Richardson is a 1998 graduate of

Philomath High School Philomath High School is a public high school in Philomath, Oregon, United States. History Clemens Grant The Clemens Foundation was established in 1958 by Rex and Ethel Clemens, members of the Philomath community who acquired their wealth in th ...

and attended the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

on a scholarship. After graduating from Notre Dame with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in Film Production & Theory, Richardson moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

where he worked for a short time at a publicity company before moving back to

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

to start work on his first film. Richardson has directed two award-winning feature

documentaries A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". The American author and media analyst Bill ...

. His first film, '' Clear Cut: The Story of Philomath, Oregon'' debuted at the

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

. The film was later aired on the

Sundance Channel Sundance Channel can refer to: * Sundance TV, formerly known as Sundance Channel (United States). * Sundance Channel (Canada) * Sundance Channel (Netherlands) * Sundance Channel (Europe) Sundance Channel can refer to: * Sundance TV Sundance TV ...

. Richardson's second film, ''

How to Die in Oregon ''How to Die in Oregon'' is a 2011 American documentary film produced and directed by Peter Richardson. It is set in the U.S. state of Oregon and covers the state's Death with Dignity Act that allows terminally ill patients to self-administer b ...

'', premiered on January 23 at the

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

. In addition to directing the film, Richardson also acted as cinematographer, editor, and producer on ''

''. The critically acclaimed film went on to win the

Grand Jury Prize A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region. Some film festivals show films outdoors or online. Films may be of recent date and depe ...

in the US Documentary competition. The film premiered on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

on May 26, 2011. Richardson was the cinematographer on Irene Taylor Brodsky's documentary short film, ''Saving Pelican 895'', which aired on

on April 20, 2011.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Peter People from Philomath, Oregon University of Notre Dame alumni American documentary filmmakers Living people Year of birth missing (living people)