James J. Robinson (born July 12, 1995)[1] is an Australian-Filipino filmmaker and photographer known for his work in publications such as Vogue Australia, GQ Australia, and Wonderland.[2][3][4] His photography often explores themes of identity, representation, and nostalgia, earning recognition for its cinematic and evocative style.[5]
Robinson's work spans editorial, commercial, and fine art photography, as well as filmmaking. His protest photography piece Burn the Blazer (2021), critiquing the culture of hypermasculinity in Australian same-sex schools, made national headlines and sparked widespread cultural commentary.[6][7]
Robinson's debut feature film as a writer and director, First Light, had its world premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2025.[8][9] He was awarded Best Australian Director by an independent jury at the festival for his work on the film.[10]
Early life
James J. Robinson was born and raised in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs to a Filipino mother and an Australian father.[5]
Robinson attended St. Kevin's College, a Catholic all-boys school in Melbourne.[6] He has spoken about the challenges he faced during his time there, citing instances of systemic homophobia and racism within the school's culture. These formative experiences influenced his perspectives on identity and representation as an artist.[11]
Robinson has directed several short films and music videos. His 2021 short documentary, Inang Maynila, premiered on Nowness and screened at the Brooklyn Film Festival.[27][28] His debut 2022 solo exhibition, On Golden Days, debuted at the PHOTO 2022 festival in Melbourne, before exhibiting at Gallery Tsukigime in Tokyo, and then online by the Fotografisk Centre's On The Go program in Copenhagen.[29][30][31]
Later that year, his protest photography piece Burn the Blazer gained national media coverage. The project, which featured an image of Robinson burning his school blazer on the school's oval, critiqued the culture of hypermasculinity and elitism in Australian same-sex schools and was reported on by The Age, Herald Sun, SBS, Channel 7, ABC News and The Australian.[6][7][33][34][35] The post went viral and led to "#burntheblazer" trending on social media.[36]
Filmography
In 2024 production began in the Philippines on Robinson's debut feature film, First Light.[8] The film premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2025, where it was programmed in main competition for the Bright Horizons award. Robinson was awarded with the Blackmagic Design Best Australian Director prize for the film, deliberated by jury president Charlotte Wells and fellow jury members including Alex Ross Perry, Athina Rachel Tsangari and Nam Le.[10]
The Curb's Andy Hazel described the film as “an astonishing debut feature,” praising Robinson’s assured direction and the film’s “painterly, evocative” visuals that "firmly announce a major new voice in Australian and Southeast Asian cinema."[37]
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