Heading to the Sundance Film Festival, cinematographer Rachel Morrison took a moment to savor and consider her historic Oscar nomination for her work on Netflix’s “Mudbound.”
“Literally, it’s a dream come true,” she said of the nod that made her the first woman ever nominated in the cinematography category. “I really hope that it opens the door for more women to believe that they can do it and follow their dreams and become cinematographers. I think that once you see 50% of us [in the industry], you’ll see a lot more nominations this time of year.”
LIVE UPDATES: Oscar nominations 2018 »
A composite of the best motion picture nominees. from top left, “The Shape of Water,” “Dunkirk,” “Lady Bird,” “The Post,” “Get Out,” “Victoria & Abul,” “Call Me by Your Name,” “Darkest Hour” and “Phantom Thread."
(Kerry Hayes / Fox / Melissa Sue Gordon / WB / Merie Wallace / A24 / Universal / Peter Mountain / Focus / Sony / Stephen Vaughan / Wilson Webb / TriStar / Jack English / Laurie )WINNER: Best picture; Directing; production design; original score | NOMINATED: Richard Jenkins -- performance by an actor in a supporting role; Sally Hawkins -- performance by an actress in a leading role; Octavia Spencer -- performance by an actress in a supporting role; cinematography; costume design; film editing; sound editing; sound mixing; and original screenplay.
(Kerry Hayes / Fox Searchlight Pictures via AP)WINNER: Frances McDormand -- performance by an actress in a leading role; Sam Rockwell -- performance by an actor in a supporting role | NOMINATED: Woody Harrelson -- performance by an actor in a supporting role; ; film editing; original score; best picture; and original screenplay.
(Merrick Morton / Fox Searchlight via AP)WINNER: Gary Oldman -- performance by an actor in a leading role; makeup and hairstyling | NOMINATED: Cinematography; costume design; best picture; and production design.
(Jack English / Focus Features via AP)WINNER: Original screenplay | NOMINATED: Daniel Kaluuya -- performance by an actor in a leading role; directing; best picture.
(Universal Pictures via AP)WINNER: Adapted screenplay | NOMINATED: Timothee Chalamet -- performance by an actor in a leading role; original song (“Mystery Of Love”); best picture.
(Sony Pictures Classics via AP)WINNER: Best animated feature film; Original song -- “Remember Me.”
(Disney-Pixar via AP)WINNER: Allison Janney -- performance by an actress in a supporting role | NOMINATED: Margot Robbie -- performance by an actress in a leading role; and film editing.
(Neon via AP)WINNER: Visual effects | NOMINATED: cinematography, production design, sound editing, sound mixing.
( Stephen Vaughan / Warner Bros. Pictures)WINNER: Sound editing; sound mixing; film editing | NOMINATED: Cinematography; directing; original score; best picture; production design.
(Melissa Sue Gordon / Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)WINNER: Costume design | NOMINATED: Daniel Day-Lewis -- performance by an actor in a leading role; Lesley Manville -- performance by an actress in a supporting role; directing; original score; and best picture.
(Laurie Sparham / Focus Features via AP)Judi Dench, left, stars as Queen Victoria and Ali Fazal stars as Abdul Karim in the film "Victoria & Abdul.” The film received two Oscar nominations in costume design and makeup/hairstyling.
(Peter Mountain / Focus Features)Tom Hanks portrays Ben Bradlee, left, and Meryl Streep portrays Katharine Graham in a scene from “The Post.” The film received two Oscar nominations: best picture, and Meryl Streep for best actress.
(Niko Tavernise / 20th Century Fox via AP)Ansel Elgort, right, and Jamie Foxx in a scene from “Baby Driver.” The film got three Oscar nominations, for film and sound editing, and sound mixing.
(Wilson Webb / Sony / TriStar Pictures via AP)Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” The film got four Oscar nominations: original score, sound editing, sound mixing and visual effects.
(John Wilson / Lucasfilm via AP)A scene from “Mudbound.” The film received four Oscar nominations.
Mary J. Blige -- performance by an actress in a supporting role; cinematography; original song (“Mighty River”) and adapted screenplay.
(Steve Dietl / Netflix via AP)Dan Stevens as the Beast, left, and Emma Watson as Belle in a live-action adaptation of the animated classic “Beauty and the Beast.” The film received two Oscar nominations: in costume and production design.
(Disney via AP)
Saoirse Ronan, left, and Laurie Metcalf in a scene from “Lady Bird.” The film got five Oscar nominations. Saoirse Ronan -- performance by an actress in a leading role; Laurie Metcalf -- performance by an actress in a supporting role; directing; best picture; and original screenplay.
(Merie Wallace / A24 via AP)Working closely with director and co-writer Dee Rees, Morrison said she was “trying to contrast scope and intimacy and the American dream versus the American reality and to look at how that affected people in terms of gender and race. I think she was really interested in exploring race as currency and gender as currency. Obviously, these are all issues where not very much has changed in 70 years. So, I think it’s an incredibly timely film too.”
And for the next generation of female cinematographers and filmmakers, she offered this advice:
“First of all, there is no time like the present and I can feel the change. It’s palpable. But I think it’s the best job on set so they should go for it. Just be persistent and patient and know that nothing happens overnight but if you enjoy the process and enjoy the journey, you’ll get to your destination.”
See the complete list of 2018 Oscar nominees »
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