Who Is Rachel Morrison? Meet The First Female Oscar Cinematography Category Nominee

Rachel Morrison was nominated for an Oscar on Tuesday morning and she made history at the exact same time. As the cinematographer for “Mudbound,” Morrison earned a bid in the cinematography category at the 2018 Oscars, becoming the first female to ever be nominated in the award show’s long history.

She’s up against “Blade Runner 2049” cinematographer Roger A. Deakins, Bruno Delbonnel of “Darkest Hour,” Hoyte van Hoytema for his work on “Dunkirk” and “The Shape of Water” cinematographer Dan Laustsen for the award. Luckily, to help keep Morrison’s spirits even higher, she has the support of many celebrities, including Mindy Kaling, who shared the fun fact on Twitter that the two actually went to high school together.

While always appreciated, Morrison might not need any extra luck as this nomination comes after she won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematographer in 2017 for her work on the movie, which was the first time a woman had done that. She’s making waves all around with her work on the film.

The first major award nomination Morrison earned was earlier on in her career when she received an Emmy nomination for her work on the TV documentary “Rikers High” in 2006.

Next up, her cinematography skills will be seen when Marvel’s “Black Panther” hits theaters on Feb. 16. This will be the first new movie of hers fans can see in 2018 and it will also be the first time fans will see a Marvel film shot by a woman. Morrison is helping to make strides in female cinematography everywhere she goes, which means people are surely about to start wondering what’s next for her after the release of this superhero film.

While she doesn’t appear to have anything scheduled just yet, per her IMDb, she’s been working consistently since 2002 and she has some major award nominations and wins under her belt, so it’s not likely she’ll have any trouble landing her next gig.

Until news of her next movie is shared, fans can stick to waiting the short period of just over a month until it’s revealed if she becomes the first woman to win an Oscar in that category when the show airs live on March 4 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.