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Doug Cuthand -- Writer Director Producer By Ivan Morin Reprinted
with permission from
Cuthand, 53, is the owner of Blue Hills Productions, a company which makes films, video documentaries, docu-dramas, and dramas for all markets. He has been in the film industry for a little over ten years and has won numerous awards at film festivals across Canada and the United States. His most recent production, "Big Bear", a two part mini-series for CBC television and co-produced with Kanata and Tele-action Films, earned Cuthand the Producers Award, at the American Indian Film Festival, in San Francisco, earlier this year. Big Bear was a crowning moment in many ways for Cuthand. It was the first time that a full length feature was ever produced between a Saskatchewan company and a Quebec company. Up to that point it was the largest budget ever spent on a movie in Saskatchewan. It was also the first film shot wholly on First Nations land. Big Bear was shot on the Pasqua First Nation in Southern Saskatchewan. "Big Bear" is nominated in a number of categories in the upcoming Banff film Festival, one of Canada's premier film festivals. Cuthand also hopes to see "Big Bear" nominated at this years Gemini Awards, Canada's equivalent to the Oscars. In the past ten years Cuthand has won many awards and written, directed, or produced over ten productions. He was also the host/producer of CTV Saskatchewan's Indigenous Circle, a half hour weekly newsmagazine. He was the host of Indigenous Circle for four years. While he was doing all this, Cuthand also had time and still writes a weekly column for the Regina Leader Post and the Saskatoon Star Phoenix. Cuthand's column is widely read and often generates letters to the editor for his views on Aboriginal political and social issues, which are the general themes of his columns.
Doug's hard work ethic comes from his parents, Stan and Christina Cuthand. Stan is a Teaching Elder, the equivalent to a professor emeritus at a non-Aboriginal College, at the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College. Doug's mother is a retired teacher. Doug is married to Pauline, and has three children at home and a son attending school in Alberta. He is a member of the Little Pine First Nation. He is the Chairman of the Little Pine First Nation's Treaty Land Entitlement Board of Trustees. Family is an important part of Cuthand's life. In the winter time you will find him driving his sons to hockey games and tournaments. If that is not enough he is also the assistant coach of one of his sons hockey team. In the summer he takes time out to help them hone their baseball skills. Although he is a very busy person, Doug Cuthand always has time for his friends and to give advice to those, like myself, who seek guidance from him. He has devoted much of his life working for the betterment of the Aboriginal community either through his writing, films, or just bringing issues to light to his large audience of readers and those who watch his films, or documentaries. Links: (click on X in top right corner of outside link to return to photo gallery) Saskatchewan Indian Wins Journalism Award National Review of First Nations Education |
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Doug Cuthand would never strike you as an award
winning writer, director, or producer, but he is that and
much more. This writer met Cuthand some fourteen years
ago when I was looking for work as a writer. Since that
time he has become one of my idols and a mentor of my
writing.
Prior to
incorporating his own company, Cuthand spent fifteen
years with the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations
(FSIN). A number of those years were spent as an elected
member of the FSIN Executive. As well, Cuthand worked for
the FSIN as their Director of Communications.