James is an award winning playwright, screenwriter and director. His plays have been nominated in the NSW Premier's Literary Award three years consecutively, shortlisted twice in the Rodney Seaborne Award, four time award winner in the Sydney Theatre Awards and is a three time Silver Gull Playwriting Award Nominee. James was Assistant Director on Holding the Man (2024 Belvoir St Theatre). His new work, Karim will open in July 20224. James' sold out theatre stage plays include Son of Byblos (Belvoir St Theatre 25A), Lady Tabouli (National Theatre of Parramatta), Queen Fatima (National Theatre of Parramatta) and Omar and Dawn (KXT). In 2023-2024, James wrote, directed and produced his second short film about Lebanese migration, Seeds of Gold. In 2022, James directed and produced his short film Yannis which has officially been selected in more than 17 Film Festivals around the world including Los Angeles, Poland, Lebanon, Greece and Italy. It has since won Best Performances in the 2022 LGBTQI+ Los Angeles Film Festival and nominated 7 times in the Made in The West Film Festival, including best director and screenplay, winning best Lead Actor.
SCREEN
YANNIS - 2023
OFFICIALLY SELECTED IN THE FOLLOWING FILM FESTIVALS
Pride Film Festival 2023
Flickerfest Film Festival 2023
LGBTQI+ Film Festival Poland 2023
Lebanese Film Festival 2022
Canberra Short Film Festival 2022
Melbourne Queer Film Festival
Lift Off Global Network First-Time Filmmakers Sessions Pinewood Studios 2022
LGBTQIA+ Los Angeles Film Festival 2022
Black Cat Award International Film Festival 2022
Made In The West Film Festival Official Selection 2022
Lift Off Sydney Official Selection 2022
Made Out West Film Festival 2022
Omovie Napoli Film Festival Napoli 2022
Melbourne CINEVERSE Film Festival
Lebanese Independent Film Festival 2023
AWARDS/ NOMINATIONS
Best Performance LGBTQ+Los Angeles Film Festival.
Made Out West Film Festival: Nominated for Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Score, Best Cinematographer, Best Editor.
Won Best Film Runner Up in Made in The West Film Festival
Won Best Lead Actor in Made in The West Film Festival
SEEDS OF GOLD - 2024
STAGE
2024 KARIM - WRITER AND CO DIRECTOR. National theatre of Parramatta
2024 SAINTS OF DAMOUR - WRITER. Qtopia Sydney, Australia
2024 HOLDING THE MAN - ASSISTANT DIRECTOR. Belvoir St Theatre
2023 SON OF BYBLOS - WRITER. Belvoir St Theatre 25A 2022/BNW
2021 QUEEN FATIMA - WRITER. National Theatre of Parramatta/ 2021 Sydney Festival
2020 LADY TABOULI - WRITER. National Theatre of Parramatta/ 2020 Sydney Festival
2019 LADY TABOULI - WRITER. 2019 Griffin Theatre Batch/ Greendoor Theatre Co/Apocolypse
2019 OMAR AND DAWN - WRITER. 2019 KXT Bakehouse/Apocolypse/ Green Door Theatre
OTHER WORKS
2021 Red Stitch ‘Playlist Festival’
‘Lion Tattoo’.
A celebration. A gathering. Theatre’s choose-your-own-adventure is, this time, a three-night music and performance festival featuring an extraordinary line-up of Melbourne practitioners.
2020 Dear Australia
“The Flock”. Commissioned by Play Writing Australia 2020.
2020 STC Virtual
“Lebanese BBQ”, performed by Priscilla Doueihy. 2020
2020. ‘Come To Where I Am’.
“Violin”. Critical Theatre Travels. Produced in partnership with the UK’s Paines Plough. 2020.
2021. Eat Me.
NIDA/ Sydney Theatre Company
A THOUSAND WORDS. SYDNEY LIVING MUSEUM.
“Aleksy and the Metal Sheds”. 2020. Sydney Living Museums with the support of WestWords.
‘A picture tells a thousand words.’ This adage is the inspiration for an innovative new online exhibition, in which the public becomes the curator.