CUTTER HODIERNE is an award-winning movie director best known for his debut feature film FISHING WITHOUT NETS, a story of pirates in Somalia told from the perspective of the pirates, which won the Directing Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.

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Just before Cutter was born, his parents sold everything they owned, quit their jobs, and bought a 32-foot cutter-rigged sailboat, after which he is named. Cutter is his real name. He spent his early years in the South Pacific Ocean and Japan, growing up in Washington, DC where he got his start making short films and music videos for local artists such as the legendary Chuck Brown. He dropped out of college after just two semesters to pursue filmmaking, supporting himself directing music videos and regional spots. At age 22, Cutter was hired to make films for U2 on the historic 'U2 360-Tour', where he traveled in Europe and North America, documenting the band.

 

Cutter took his earnings from the tour and flew to East Africa to research pirates in Somalia and make a fictional short-film about their lives. Cast entirely with a rag-tag crew of Somali actors whom Cutter met on the streets of Mombasa, the short film FISHING WITHOUT NETS went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, screening worldwide at film festivals, winning countless awards and Cutter was named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film. Cutter's short film was expanded into the first scripted feature film produced and financed by VICE.

 

Cutter shot the Somali language epic on location in East Africa, on speedboats and oil tankers in the Indian Ocean. The screenplay was based on true stories and the lives of the Somali actors in the movie. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival where Cutter won the Directing Award. The movie played at film festivals across the globe, garnering many awards and accolades and was distributed worldwide by VICE and 20th Century Fox. 

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Recently Cutter designed BERLIN WALL: A VR EXPERIENCE at the Newseum in Washington, DC, where he turned one of the museum's physical exhibitions into an interactive VR experience. Cutter also co-directed an upcoming VR movie about the 2017 NBA FINALS for Oculus & the NBA to be released this fall.