The psychological horror Relic is Japanese-Australian writer and director Natalie Erika James debut feature. based in Melbourne, Australia,Natalie is currently developing Drum Wave, a Japanese folk horror funded by the highly competitive Screen Australia Hot Shots Plus program. Her 2018 proof-of-concept short for Drum Wave was nominated for Best Australian Short Film at the Sydney Film Festival and premiered internationally at Fantastic Fest.
James first drew attention with Creswick, her 2016 short, which premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival, goning on to screen at 60+ festivals including the New York Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, Fantasia, and the Atlanta Film Festival. Creswick was awarded the 2017 AWGIE Award for Best Short Form screenplay by the Australian Writer’s Guild.
In early 2017, Natalie was awarded a Film Victoria funded director’s attachment on Leigh Whannell’s sci-fi thriller, Upgrade. Natalie also produced Under the Sun, shot on location in Changzhou, China. Under The Sun premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival in the Cinefondation program, and has gone on to screen at 60+ festivals internationally.