| How to Die in Oregon | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Peter Richardson |
| Produced by | Peter Richardson |
| Starring | Cody Curtis |
| Music by | Max Richter |
| Distributed by | Clearcut Productions |
| Release date(s) | January 23, 2011 (Sundance) |
| Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $750,000[1] |
How to Die in Oregon is a 2011 documentary film produced and directed by Peter Richardson. The film is set in the state of Oregon and covers the state's Death with Dignity Act that allows terminally ill patients to end their own life with medication prescribed by their physician (a form of assisted suicide).
Contents |
Through a 1994 ballot measure (Measure 16) named the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, Oregon became the first U.S. state and one of the first jurisdictions in the world to allow physician-assisted suicide. The film covers the background of the Oregon law and the life of a few patients who have chosen to take their life under it. It also features some information about the neighboring state of Washington's attempt to legalize physician-assisted suicide in 2008 through a law (Washington Death with Dignity Act) modeled after Oregon's.
The film was released in January 2011 at the 27th Sundance Film Festival and began airing on HBO later in the year.[2] Peter Richardson, a native Oregonian, got the idea to produce the film as the state's law was upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States in the 2006 case Gonzales v. Oregon.
The film was well-received by critics and won the Grand Jury Prize for Documentaries prize at the 27th Sundance Film Festival.[3][4]
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Restrepo |
Sundance Grand Jury Prize: Documentary 2011 |
Succeeded by TBD |