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). Film critic Jeff Vice, of the Deseret News, dubbed Dutcher "The Godfather of Mormon Cinema," a title that is very important personally for Dutcher. In 2007, Dutcher left the LDS Church. Dutcher graduated from Brigham Young University in 1988 with a degree in film. Dutcher was married in 1988 to Gwen, moving to Mapleton, Utah in 1999. They have seven children together. After 23 years of marriage, they divorced in 2011.
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: