Rachel Morrison

Rachel Morrison (born April 27, 1978) is an American cinematographer and director.

For her work on Mudbound (2017), Morrison became the first woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

Early life Morrison grew up in a Jewish family in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and graduated from Concord Academy in 1996.

She took up photography at a young age, and attended New York University, where she completed a double major in film and photography because she was unable to choose between the two; by the end of her degree, she had decided to concentrate on cinematography. She then attended the AFI Conservatory's graduate cinematography program and graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in 2006. In 2018, Morrison was awarded with the 28th Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal awarded to alumni of the AFI Conservatory.

Career Morrison began her career in television, working on series and telefilms for a number of networks. Her cinematography on the 2005 television documentary Rikers High, about high school education within the Rikers Island prison complex, was nominated for an Emmy Award. for two years, then shot Zal Batmanglij's Sound of My Voice, which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. while Indiewire named her as one of their "Cinematographers To Watch". which she followed up with the 2015 film Dope. Dope premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, making it Morrison's seventh film to screen at the annual festival in six consecutive years.

2014 marked Morrison's first foray into directing, as she was offered the chance to direct an episode of the television series American Crime, which aired in 2015.

Morrison was the cinematographer for Dee Rees's 2017 film Mudbound. For her work on the film, Morrison became the first woman to win the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematographer, and the first woman ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

Morrison served as cinematographer for Marvel's Black Panther (2018).

On June 19, 2019, it was announced Morrison would make her directorial debut on Flint Strong, which was later retitled The Fire Inside and released in 2024. In 2025, she began directing the film Love of Your Life, starring Margaret Qualley, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Aaron Pierre and Gabriel Basso.

Personal life Morrison married Rachel Garza in December 2011. They have a son, who was born in 2014, and a daughter born in 2018.

Filmography Cinematographer

Feature film

Television Year Title Director Notes 2003–2009 Room Raiders 2007 Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County Gary Shaffer 2008–2009 The Hills Hisham Abed 24 episodes 2011 Funny or Die Presents... Ken MarinoMatt PiedmontJordan Vogt-Roberts 1 episode 2020 Homemade Herself Episode "The Lucky Ones" 2021 VAX LIVE: The Concert to Reunite the World Ryan Polito TV special

TV movies Year Title Director 2016 Confirmation Rick Famuyiwa 2023 Play is your superpower Ellen Kuras

Director Film The Fire Inside (2024) Love of Your Life'' (TBA)

Television

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Title Result 2012 News and Documentary Emmy Awards Outstanding Achievement in a Craft: Cinematography Rikers High American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Cinematography Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society Best Cinematography Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Cinematography 2018 Satellite Awards Best Cinematography Black Panther