Don Coutts is a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

best known as the director of the 2003 feature film '' American Cousins'' and for bringing the world of Katie Morag to the screen. The successful translation of the characters from the books of

Mairi Hedderwick Mairi Hedderwick (born 2 May 1939) is a Scottish illustrator and author, known for the ''Katie Morag'' series of children's picture books set on the Isle of Struay, a fictional counterpart of the inner Hebrides, inner Hebridean island of Coll w ...

has won nine awards - including a US Peabody, 3 BAFTAs, a Royal Television Society Scotland Children's Award, a

Scottish BAFTA BAFTA in Scotland is the Scottish branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Formed in 1986, the branch holds two annual awards ceremonies recognising the achievement by performers and production staff in Scottish film, televis ...

and a Kidscreen award. He is also a documentary and music filmmaker who has worked on numerous current affairs and entertainment productions,See: including the late night discussion programme '' After Dark''. He was recognised for his achievements and contributions at the 2015 Scottish

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

Awards where he won the Best Director Award.

Biography

Don Coutts left school in 1967, and began work with th
Simon Community
before moving to London. Soon afterwards he was employed by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

as a clerk. Following work in Columbia's laboratories, he got a job in the studio's cutting rooms and worked on several films as an assistant

film editor Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film stock, film which increasingly involves the use Digital cinema, of digital ...

. Subsequently, Coutts was employed by

Anglia TV ITV Anglia, previously known as Anglia Television, is the ITV franchise holder for the East of England. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional news bureaux in Cambridge and Northampton. ITV Anglia is owned and operated b ...

and

BBC East BBC East is one of BBC's English Regions covering Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and parts of Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire (including the City of Milton Keynes). It is headquartered in The Forum ...

as an assistant film editor. At this time Coutts insisted he was the black sheep of the banking family.

Film and television drama

*'' Katie Morag'' (2013) *''Dear Green Place'' (2007) *'' American Cousins'' (2003) *''Rose'' (1998) *''Dead Sea Reels'' (1996) *''St Antony’s Day Off'' (1995)

Selected documentaries

*''Mac Musical'': 3 × 1 hour following the creation of a new Scottish musical for the opening of

Eden Court Theatre Eden Court Theatre (Scottish Gaelic: Cùirt an Easbaig, "Bishop's Court") is a large theatre, cinema and arts venue situated in Inverness, Scotland close to the banks of the River Ness. The theatre has recently undergone a complete refurbishme ...

Endemol Endemol B.V. (stylized in all lowercase) was a Dutch-based media company that produced and distributed multiplatform entertainment content. The company annually produced more than 15,000 hours of programming across scripted and non-scripted gen ...

for

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, employing approximately 1,250 staff as of 2017, to produce 15,000 hours of television and radio programming per year. BBC Scotla ...

*''True North'': Celebrating the 60th birthday of

Aly Bain Aly Bain MBE (born 15 May 1946) is a Scottish fiddler who learned his instrument from the old-time master Tom Anderson. The former First Minister of Scotland Jack McConnell called Bain a "Scottish icon." Career Bain was born in the town of Le ...

BBC Scotland *''This is Mackay Country'': Profile of Craig Mackay. Ex-S BBC Scotland *''When Summers Were Longer'': Huts at

Carbeth Carbeth is a hamlet in Stirlingshire, west of Strathblane and north of Clydebank. Named features include Carbeth Hill, Carbeth Loch and the estate of Carbeth Guthrie. There is a community of huts here which was established in 1918 after the ...

Ex-S BBC Scotland *''Welcome to The GoGo'':

Arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

film on the go-go music scene in

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

for

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Network. *''Cowboys in Skirts'': The making of feature film Rob Roy.

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

Network. *''Clarissa & the Countryman'': Series two (x3) and three (x4)

Clarissa Dickson Wright Clarissa Theresa Philomena Aileen Mary Josephine Agnes Elsie Trilby Louise Esmerelda Johnston Dickson Wright (24 June 1947 – 15 March 2014) was an English celebrity cook, television personality, writer, businesswoman, and former barrister. Sh ...

and Johnny Scott travelling around Britain. BBC Network. *''Fly Me To Dunoon'': The story of jazz singer Suzanne Bonner. BBC Network. *''Tacsi'': 18 x 30-minute Music Arts programmes - STV/Grampian *''A Kiss To Build A Dream On'': Profile of Hollywood director

Michael Caton-Jones Michael Caton-Jones (born Michael Jones; 15 October 1957) is a Scottish director and producer of film and television. Biography Caton-Jones grew up in Broxburn, near Edinburgh. He moved to London and squatted in Stoke Newington. He attend ...

. BBC Scotland. *''My Name is Albert Watson'': Profile of stills photographer Albert Watson. BBC Scotland. *''The Trainer Wars'': A film about

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

Reebok Reebok International Limited ( ) is an American footwear and clothing brand that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company which had bee ...

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

. BBC Scotland. *''Tracks of my Tears'': Documentary about men and crying. BBC Scotland. *''Victims of The Village'': Expose of rural Child Abuse. BBC Scotland. *''The Power List'': 50 Minute documentary presented by Jon Snow looking at changes in Power in Britain.

Awards

*Best Director –

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

International Film Festival *Best Director, Comedy –

Newport Beach Film Festival The Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) is an annual film festival in Newport Beach, California, typically held in late April. In 2022, it was announced that the festival had permanently changed its date to be held in October, as the festival bega ...

(USA) *Best Film – Milan International Film Festival *Best Film –

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

Bowmore Awards *Best Film –

(USA) *Best Comedy – Newport Beach Film Festival (USA) *Audience Award – Milan International Film Festival *Audience Award – BAFTA Scotland *Special Jury Prize –

Savannah Film Festival Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France. It was founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the United S ...

(USA)

References

External links

*
Move on Up
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coutts, Don Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Scottish documentary filmmakers Scottish film directors 20th-century births