Justin Oakey is a bilingual (English-French) writer/director from Newfoundland, where he lives with his wife, children, and droves of animals. He lives a traditional lifestyle full of hunting, fishing, growing, and storytelling. Following his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Studies from Ryerson University, his award-winning films introduced an atmospheric, genre-agnostic vision of rural Newfoundland around the world. The claustrophobic micro-budget Riverhead (2016) and tense neo-noir A Fire In The Cold Season (2019) found acclaim at festivals and the Canadian Screen Awards. His folkish thriller Hangashore (2025), starring James Frecheville and Hera Hilmar, is currently on a festival run.

Also an accomplished editor, Justin has cut a number of acclaimed features – most recently the cult hit slasher Dolly, the star-studded crime thriller Blood For Dust, sci-fi adventure The Outer Threat, and fantasy drama The King Tide – for which he has won numerous awards, including top honours at the Canadian Cinema Editors Awards.

Critical response to A Fire In The Cold Season –
“An impressive thriller with plenty of meat on its genre bones.” – Screen Anarchy
“The season of human cruelty. An artful take on the crime thriller.” – Original Cin
“The contrast of monumental nature and human lowliness.” – XXZ Magazine

Critical response to Riverhead –
“Claustrophobic, bleak, and minimalist.” – Wire Magazine
“Slender, but impressively naturalistic.” – Times Colonist