Clear Cut: The Story of Philomath, Oregon

Clear Cut: The Story of Philomath, Oregon
File:Clear cut movie-film poster.jpg Movie poster
Directed by	Peter Richardson
Produced by	Peter Richardson
Starring	Steve Lowther
Music by	Debra Arlyn
Distributed by	Bicoastal Films
Release date	January 20, 2006 (2006-01-20)
Running time	72 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Clear Cut: The Story of Philomath, Oregon is a 2006 American documentary film produced and directed by Peter Richardson. It was filmed in the city of Philomath, Oregon. The film made its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2006.

Synopsis

This documentary depicts a vivid example of America's current culture war. It shows a rural community, Philomath, Oregon, that is making a large transition from once being a dominant force through an "old time" profession, the timber industry, to one that is dominated by professionals and techies, the "Information Age". This is shown by the drastic decline of lumber mills in the area. In 1980, there were twelve mills around Philomath, but twenty-five years later there were only two. The largest employers are no longer the lumber mills but Oregon State University in Corvallis, which is about six miles from Philomath, and a Hewlett-Packard center involved in engineering ink-jet components. The roots of the community go back to a man named Rex Clemens, who lived from 1901 to 1985. He was a high school dropout who became wealthy through the lumber business. Due to his wealth, Clemens set up a foundation in 1958 that helped support school functions, construction, and progress while also providing a four-year scholarship to anyone who graduated from Philomath High School. Many people who had lived there for years, some for their entire lives, began to object to these changes. Three of these people happened to be Rex Clemens' nephews, who were now in charge of the foundation their uncle set up. Steve Lowther, one of the nephews, led the traditionalists in their battle against Kneisler. After the two sides had multiple disagreements and conflicts, Lowther told the school board that Kneisler or the foundation must go. Later, Kneisler did leave. Lowther amended the foundation so that preference would be given to students who come from timber, agricultural, or mining families. Preference will also be given to students who will go on to pursue a career related to one of these fields of work.

Later developments

In 2008, the Lowthers once again amended the scholarship plan — the program would limit its grants to students who are at least second-generation residents of Philomath, Alsea, Eddyville, or the Eastern Oregon town of Crane, and the awards can be used at public or private colleges, trade, vocational or medical schools.

Release

The film became available for streaming on Hulu and Netflix on March 1, 2012.

External links

• Clear Cut: The Story of Philomath, Oregon, official site
• Clear Cut: The Story of Philomath, Oregon at IMDb