Claire Oakley

Claire Oakley
Born	London, England
Alma mater	University of Edinburgh
Occupation(s)	Film Director, Screenwriter
Years active	2011–present
Website	www.claireoakley.com

Claire Oakley (born 1985) ^[1] is a British film director and screenwriter. She began her career directing multiple short films, including Tracks (2014) and Physics (2012) before writing and directing her first feature film Make Up (2019). ^[2]

Early life and education

Oakley was raised in Hammersmith, West London and later studied English Literature at the University of Edinburgh, where she first developed an interest in film. ^[3]

Career

Her career began as a script reader working at various companies, including BBC Films and the BFI, before writing and directing her first short film Beautiful Enough (2010). ^[4] She subsequently directed four more short films.

Her first feature film Make Up was released in 2020 ^[5] to critical acclaim; on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 43 critics gave the film a positive review, with Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph writing "as poetically teasing as it is psychologically precise, Make Up signals the arrival of an exciting new talent". ^{[6] [7]}

In 2023, she made her small-screen directorial debut with three episodes of the Disney+ heist crime thriller Culprits , starring Gemma Arterton and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett. ^{[8] [9] [10]}

In recently, Oakley created, wrote and directed the crime thriller series Under Salt Marsh for Sky Television which will premiere in 2026. ^[11]

She also founded Cinesisters, an "inclusive collective of female directors" with over 175 members, aiming to support and provide resources to female filmmakers. ^[3]

Personal life

Oakley lives in East London with her wife. ^[12]

Filmography

Key

†	Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released

Feature films

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Executive producer
2019	Make Up	Yes	Yes	No

Short films

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer
2010	Beautiful Enough	Yes	Yes	Yes
2012	Physics	Yes	Yes	No
2014	James	Yes	No	No
2014	Tracks	Yes	Yes	No
2016	Waterfall	No	No	Yes
2016	Pumeza: Tuning In	Yes	Yes	No

Television series

Year	Title	Creator	Director	Writer	Producer	Notes
2023	Culprits	No	Yes	No	No	Episodes 5–7
2026	Under Salt Marsh † [11]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

References

1. "Claire Oakley". D'A. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
2. Bradshaw, Peter (30 July 2020). "Make Up review – wintry chills in a spooky seaside thriller". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 18 November 2023.
3. Jacobs, Emma (17 July 2020). "New film-maker Claire Oakley on desire and storytelling". Financial Times. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
4. "Catching Up with Underwire Alumni: Claire Oakley". Underwire Festival. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
5. Bugbee, Teo (12 November 2020). "'Make Up' Review: Self-Discovery, an Adolescent Horror". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 18 November 2023.
6. "Make Up (2019)", Rotten Tomatoes, retrieved 1 June 2021
7. Collin, Robbie (30 July 2020). "Make Up review: this sexy, eerie Cornish creeper is the best British film of 2020 so far". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 1 June 2021.
8. McArdell, Ian (26 October 2023). "Culprits - trailer lands for the slick Disney+ post-heist thriller". CultBox. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
9. Phelan, Zehra (24 October 2023). ""What are you not telling me?" Trailer drops for series 'Culprits'". HeyUGuys. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
10. Paz, Maggie Dela (23 October 2023). "Culprits Trailer: Gemma Arterton Stars in Hulu's Crime Dark Comedy Series". ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
11. "Kelly Reilly and Rafe Spall star in gripping new Sky Original drama Under Salt Marsh – first look teaser revealed". Sky Group . 6 November 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
12. "Make Up director Claire Oakley: 'I was worried people might think we were making a porno'". The Guardian. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2021.

External links

• Official website
• Claire Oakley at IMDb