Mean Creek is a 2004
independent filmAn independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
produced by
Susan JohnsonSusan Johnson may refer to:*Susan Johnson , film producer*Susan Johnson , also known as Susan Johnson-Kehn , American musical theatre actress*Susan Johnson , National Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada...
,
Rick RosenthalRichard L. "Rick" Rosenthal, Jr. is an American film and television director. He is also a producer, actor, and writer.-Biography:...
, and
Hagai ShahamHagai Shaham is an acclaimed Israeli violin virtuoso. He began studying the violin at the age of six and was the last student of the late Professor Ilona Feher...
, written and directed by
Jacob Aaron EstesJacob Aaron Estes is an American screenwriter and film director.Estes wrote and directed his feature debut, Summoning, in 2001. With 2004's Mean Creek, his second offering as writer-director, he gained critical acclaim, receiving nominations at various film festivals and winning the Independent...
and starring
Rory CulkinRory Hugh Culkin is an American actor and is the younger brother of actors Macaulay Culkin and Kieran Culkin.-Personal life:...
and
Josh PeckJoshua Michael "Josh" Peck is an American actor, comedian, director, and voice actor best known for playing Josh Nichols in the Nickelodeon live-action sitcom Drake & Josh. He began his career as a child actor in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and became known to young audiences after his role on...
. The film concerns a group of teenagers and young adults who devise a plan to humiliate an overweight, troubled bully on a boating trip. The movie was filmed mostly in Clackamas County,
OregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, including the cities of
BoringBoring is an unincorporated community located in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, on Oregon Route 212. It is approximately eight miles south of Gresham and about the same distance from Clackamas, both suburbs of Portland. The town is roughly twenty-two miles southeast from downtown...
,
SandySandy is a city located in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, and named after the nearby Sandy River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 5,385, however the 2006 estimate shows 7,070 people....
, and
EstacadaEstacada is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, about 30 miles southeast of Portland. The population was 2,695 at the 2010 census. -History:The Estacada post office opened in February 1904 and the city was incorporated in May 1905...
, though footage on the river was filmed on the
Lewis RiverThe Lewis River is a tributary of the Columbia River, about long, in southwestern Washington in the United States. It drains part of the Cascade Range north of the Columbia River. The drainage basin of the Lewis River covers about . The river's mean annual discharge is about . Unlike nearby Lewis...
in southwest Washington.
The film premiered at the
Sundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
in January 2004, and was later screened at the
Cannes Film FestivalThe Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
that spring.