James Ashcroft

James Ashcroft is a New Zealand filmmaker and former actor who worked across theater, film, television and radio before turning to directing. Born in Paraparaumu, New Zealand, he studied acting at Toi Whakaari drama school and Victoria University, then interned with The Wooster Group and Ex Machina. He served as artistic director and chief executive of the Māori theater company Taki Rua Productions, and his screen acting work includes Black Sheep (2006), Fresh Meat (2012) and The Insider's Guide to Love (2005). In the early 2010s he optioned two Owen Marshall short stories and formed Light in the Dark Productions in 2014. He directed Coming Home in the Dark (2021), a psychological thriller he co-wrote with Eli Kent, which premiered at Sundance and earned a 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. He followed with The Rule of Jenny Pen (2024), winning best director at Fantastic Fest, and The Whisper Man, starring Robert De Niro, released in 2026.