Richard Dutcher

Richard Alan Dutcher (born 1964) is an American independent filmmaker who produces, writes, directs, edits, and frequently stars in his films. After making God's Army, a successful 2000 movie about LDS missionaries, Dutcher became well known among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and gave himself the nickname "The Father of Mormon Cinema." In 2007, Dutcher left the LDS Church.

Dutcher was born in Oak Park, Illinois as Richard Hill. His family moved frequently, and at age seven his parents divorced. As a member of the LDS Church, Dutcher served a two-year mission in Mexico.

Dutcher lived in his car during high school and was so financially strapped while attending college that he frequently had to choose between eating and going to the movies. Because of his love of film, he normally went to the movies. Dutcher graduated from Brigham Young University in 1988 with a degree in film. Dutcher was married in 1988 to Gwen; they have seven children together. After 23 years of marriage, they divorced in 2011.

Dutcher began work on his first feature film, Girl Crazy, in the early 1990s while living in an apartment in Van Nuys, California. Girl Crazy is a romantic comedy written by, directed by, and starring Dutcher. Dutcher raised the budget of the movie (approx US$14,000), then shot it in and near his apartment building. He later raised more money to finish the movie.

The movie did not play in theaters but had a brief run in 1997 on HBO and Cinemax. While the movie did not make enough money to pay off investors, it did begin Dutcher's feature filmmaking career. Of the movie, Dutcher said:

Dutcher's next film was the 2000 indie smash God's Army. Distributed by Excel Entertainment Group, the movie grossed over ten times its $250,000 production budget. Dutcher produced, wrote, directed, and starred in this film about Mormon missionaries, focusing on a Mormon elder determined to finish his two-year mission even though he is dying of brain cancer. The film debuted with a world premiere in Sandy, Utah and was taken on tour around North America for limited engagements, particularly to Mormon audiences, who were eager to see LDS characters portrayed on screen. The movie received mixed reviews by critics and currently holds a 50% Rotten Tomato score. The success of God's Army among Mormon audiences is widely credited for launching the LDS Cinema movement of the early to mid-2000s, a small film niche of LDS movies made primarily by and for Mormon audiences.

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