James Merendino

James Anthony Merendino (born January 11, 1969) is an American film director and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing the dramedy film SLC Punk!.^[1]

James Merendino
Merendino at a Q&A in September 2019
Born	James Anthony Merendino (1969-01-11) January 11, 1969 (age 56) Long Branch, New Jersey
Occupation(s)	Film director, film producer, screenwriter actor
Years active	1991–present
Notable work	SLC Punk!
Partner	Severine Ferarri

Life

Merendino was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, and moved to Salt Lake City when he was six years old. He graduated from Judge Memorial Catholic High School in 1985 and went to college in Rome and Los Angeles where he studied Western philosophy and theology. Merendino moved to Hollywood when he was 21 and found work with Hollywood mogul Dan Melnick.

In 2008 Merendino moved to New York City where he currently lives with his partner Severine Ferarri.

Career

In 1991, Merendino was hired to direct Witchcraft IV: The Virgin Heart. His fourth film, Toughguy (1995), is a psychological thriller starring Heather Graham. His next film was A River Made to Drown In (1997). Merendino's most successful film, SLC Punk!, was released in 1998, and was a semi-autobiographical telling of his growing up in Utah. The screenplay was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

The 2000 film Magicians was a European co-production with Alan Arkin and Claire Forlani. Amerikana was part of the Dogma 95 movement by Lars Von Trier. Merendino directed (with Lisa Hammer) the drama film The Invisible Life of Thomas Lynch in 2009. He wrote and directed the sequel to 1998's SLC Punk!, Punk's Dead, which was released in February 2016.

In 2022, James Merendino created and directed the television series Great Kills produced by and starting Steve S. Stanulis. The dark comedy mockumentary about a small time hit man on Staten Island was co-created with Lisa Hammer and released on Tubi in March of 2023. The series was renewed for another season shortly after it aired.

Filmography

Film

Year	Film	Director	Writer	Producer
1992	Witchcraft IV: The Virgin Heart	Yes	Yes	No
1993	Witchcraft V: Dance with the Devil	No	Yes	No
1993	Beware of Dog	No	Yes	No
1994	Hard Drive	Yes	Yes	No
1994	The Upstairs Neighbour	Yes	Yes	No
1995	Terrified	Yes	Yes	No
1996	Livers Ain't Cheap	Yes	Yes	No
1996	The First Man	No	No	Yes
1997	River Made to Drown In	Yes[a]	No	No
1998	SLC Punk!	Yes	Yes	No
2000	Magicians	Yes	Yes	No
2001	Amerikana	Yes	Yes	No
2004	Evil Remains	Yes	Yes	No
2008	Death Club	Yes	Yes	No
2009	The Invisible Life of Thomas Lynch	Yes	Yes	No
2011	Pox	No	No	Yes
2016	Punk's Dead: SLC Punk! 2	Yes	Yes	No
2018	Double Proposal	No	No	Yes
2020	Ashes	No	Yes	No
TBD	Cat in a Box	Yes	Yes	No
TBD	Arthur Kill Road	Yes	Yes	No

Television

Year	Series	Director	Writer	Producer	Actor	Notes
1998	Alexandria Hotel	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	8 episodes
2023	Great Kills	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	8 episodes

Awards

2000 Nominated Independent Spirit Award Best Screenplay for: SLC Punk! (1998)

Notes

1. Credited as Alan Smithee