​

​

Melissa James is an award-winning producer, director and owner of Sigil Films. She recently produced the critically acclaimed feature Satan Wants You (2023) which premiered at SXSW 2023, about the untold story of the Satanic Panic. The film is certified 95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes , was featured in Deadline, and was called "the scariest documentary of the year" by Variety. She recently directed Witch Hunt (2023) a short doc about political witchcraft which premiered at the Salem Horror Fest. She is currently producing Hearse Chasing (2024) a short documentary for Telus Originals about a musicians journey with C-PTSD and uncovering the truth about her mother's death.

 

Melissa found her calling in pop-culture documentary filmmaking. Her journey began in Montreal's punk scene, which shaped her early experiences. Later, she transitioned to music PR in London, working with iconic bands like the Rolling Stones and media titans NME & Kerrang!. Moving on to New York's Lower East Side, Melissa became a part of the music scene there, working at venues such as Arlene's Grocery and documenting the vibrant life at CBGB's. This background paved the way for her to create the award-winning documentary, No Fun City, a deep dive into Vancouver's counterculture featuring legendary bands such as DOA & Skinny Puppy.

 

Her work as a producer and archive producer can be seen in the CSA-nominated LETTER FROM MASANJIA (2018), Peabody Award-winning HUMAN HARVEST (2014), and the ESPN 30 for 30, I’M JUST HERE FOR THE RIOT (2023) which just premiered at Hot Docs.

​

​

​

​