James Ashcroft’s first feature Coming Home in the Dark turned heads in Hollywood, after his thriller received praise at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. The Wellington-raised director won multiple offers from Hollywood, including production company Legendary Entertainment (The Dark Knight). Ashcroft shot Coming Home… at “breakneck speed” in just 20 days. The Toi Whakaari graduate is also an actor; his screen roles include horror flick Fresh Meat (2012), drama Kissy Kissy (2007) and TV series The Insider’s Guide to Love (2006). Ashcroft led Māori theatre company Taki Rua Productions for seven years, and has directed multiple short films.

There’s as much worth and vitality and thrills and scares and comedy in homegrown stories from our backyard as there are in any story. So I’m committed to that. But I’m also looking forward to being in a forest filming Bigfoot. James Ashcroft on juggling Kiwi and international projects, in an interview with Stuff, 27 June 2021

Creative Bay of Plenty presents a special screening of James’ film Coming Home in the Dark at United Cinemas Bayfair on Saturday 14 August, followed by a Q&A session with the Director himself. Book your tickets here.

 

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