James Napier Robertson

James Napier Robertson is a New Zealand director and writer. He started his career as a theatre actor in Shakespeare productions, before being cast in a number of TV roles in the early 2000’s. He began writing and directing short films in his early twenties, before making his first feature film in 2009, ‘I’m Not Harry Jenson’, which was nominated for Best Feature Film at the New Zealand Film and TV Awards. In 2014 he wrote and directed his second feature film, ‘The Dark Horse’, starring Cliff Curtis and James Rolleston. It opened the 2014 New Zealand International Film Festival and was released theatrically on July 31 throughout New Zealand, NZ Herald rating it 5 stars, the National Radio Review declaring it “one of the best New Zealand films ever made”. It premiered internationally at Toronto International Film Festival 2014, Variety calling it “exceptional..the most deserving cinematic export to emerge from New Zealand in years”. It was released worldwide in 2015. In 2016 it was presented theatrically in the U.S. by James Cameron, and in late-2016 was formally screened at the White House for then-President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. In 2018, Napier Robertson wrote and directed two episodes of Australian mini-series Romper Stomper, which won Most Outstanding Miniseries at the 2018 Logie Awards .