Øcean Vashti Jude is a Black award-winning filmmaker and director. She is a native Chicagoan now based in Los Angeles, California. Øcean graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelor’s degree in Film and a concentration in Screenwriting.
Her short Prudence about a grieving elderly queer black WW2 nurse garnered broad acclaim and has screened in over 20 countries and received 8 best short narrative awards. In 2018 she directed a 6 part doc series about the queer voguing scene in Mexico City called House of Mamis which won a GLAAD award in 2019, one of the highest honors in LGBTQ media.
As she continues developing her film and television projects she has started making a name for herself in the commercial world. She has worked with clients such as Nike, Target, Cadillac, Vanity Fair, P&G, Citi Bank, Corona, NETFLIX, and more.
As a filmmaker, Øcean’s mission is to unravel the truth of the unseen and unheard through a cinematic landscape. She is a precise director with a style that serves her focus on the human condition and the characters of fiction she creates. Through compelling visuals and unflinching authenticity, she delivers stories and visuals that make people perk up.