Mairi Sutherland

Mairi Sutherland has over fifteen years experience in film production. Firstly, as a freelance radio reporter with BBC Scotland where she developed a successful career as a documentary features writer, presenter for radio broadcasts on BBC Scotland and Radio 5 in the UK. Then she moved onto working for BBC Scotland Television as a researcher for the national network program First Light. In 1995, she joined the independent film sector, where she gained experience working with Clan Wallace who were the fighting extras, technical assistance and inspiration for Oscar winning film Braveheart. While with 'The Clann' she worked on 'The Bruce' starring Oliver Reed. In March 1996 she joined Palm Tree Productions to work on publicity and marketing becoming a shareholder and co-owner. Soon she was to co-produce and co-own more than 18 of Palm Tree Entertainments 25 films during a decade in film production working with Producer partner, veteran film maker, Robbie Moffat. Mairi now has credits as Producer, co Producer, Executive Producer, Writer and Director. In the trilogy Celtic Warrior she made a brief departure into 'front of camera' with her acting role, Beith the Pict, a comedy cameo. Included in her credits, she has written 3 screenplays and directed 2 of these films. She wrote Red Rose, about the life of Robert Burns, which gained several awards at Film Festivals and went on to be translated into 12 different languages across Europe by HBO as well as being screened in Mandarin on Chinese TV. After this she wrote and directed Photoshoot a film about a paparazzi stalking an aging actress, which gained a best Actress award for the lead actor, Debbie Arnold. Her next screenplay, which she also directed called 'Going Green' is drama movie about a family who loose everything, but in the process find a better life. Recently she has developed her own slate of films with her own production company, which is not affiliated to the works or film company of her ex-husband, Robbie Moffat .Her slate includes a documentary about Leonardo Da Vinci and a fiction screenplay called Heathen's Battle set in 5th Century Scotland. She remains open to working with other screen writers and producers on new projects. She wants to direct a Hollywood style film and work with Hollywood film directors. She continues to try to seek funding for Great Getaway, a film about Bonnie Prince Charlie, which has had a troublesome history of false starts. The film is presently being repackaged. She is also co-producing the Moffat screenplay Nocturn about the life of the composer Chopin, directed by the Oscar nominated Icelander, Friderick Thor Fridericksson, who is confirmed as attached. She gets asked all the time if she is related to the actor, Donald Sutherland, and there is some connection between the two family names Sutherland and Maclae(y) which they both share. with cousins.They had a family meeting in 2009 which concluded some how they were related, but this has not translated into anything concrete in terms of exactly what that means so far. Neither have out ruled working together on something.