“Blue Jean” director Georgia Oakley has signed with CAA.
The up-and-coming British filmmaker made her debut feature with the Venice-premiering “Blue Jean,” which bowed to wide acclaim on the Lido in September. Set in northeast England in the 1980s, the pic is centred on a closeted gym teacher (played by Rosy McEwen) who is forced to confront her sexuality after taking a gay student under her wing.
The film tackles the Margaret Thatcher era’s controversial Section 28 law, which prohibited British schools and councils from “promoting the teaching of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.” The law was passed in 1988 and stayed in place until 2003.
“Blue Jean” went on to win the Venice Film Festival’s Giornate degli Autori People’s Choice Award. The movie was later acquired by Magnolia Pictures for a North American release.
During its awards run, “Blue Jean” received 13 British Independent Film Award nominations including best British independent film, best director, best screenplay, debut director, and debut screenwriter, which Oakley won, in addition to three others (best lead performance by McEwen; best supporting performance by Kerrie Hayes; and best casting by Shaheen Baig).
The film also received a BAFTA nomination for outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer.
Elsewhere, Oakley’s award-winning shorts have screened at international festivals including SXSW, Tribeca Film Festival, New York Film Festival and Galway Film Fleadh. Her short, “Little Bird,” was nominated for best narrative short at Tribeca Film Festival.
Oakley continues to be represented by Roxana Adle and Harriet Pennington Legh at independent British talent agency LARK.