The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has announced the nominees for their upcoming ASC Awards, and “Mudbound” EP Rachel Morrison is among those in the running for the group’s Theatrical Release award. She’s the first woman who has ever been up for the honor, Variety reports.
Set in post-WWII Mississippi, “Mudbound” follows two soldiers returning from the war, one black (Jason Mitchell) and one white (Garrett Hedlund). The multi-perspective drama has earned rave reviews — with many critics singling out its cinematography — since the film’s premiere at Sundance 2017.
According to a new study from Dr. Martha Lauzen and The Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, women accounted for four percent of all cinematographers working on the top 250 films of 2017.
If she receives an Academy Award nomination for “Mudbound,” Morrison will be the first female cinematographer ever included in the race.
Morrison was drawn to the project partly because she wanted to collaborate with director and co-writer Dee Rees. “Between wanting to work with Dee and then this script that was so powerful, and a period film is sort of a gift to any cinematographer, and I also just found it incredibly timely from both a race perspective and a gender perspective,” she’s said.
“Dope,” “Cake,” and “Fruitvale Station” are among Morrison’s other credits. She worked on “Black Panther,” one of this year’s most highly anticipated films. The superhero story hits theaters February 16.
Check out a video of Morrison discussing her career trajectory below.
