Who is Rachel Morrison and how is she making Oscar history?

As the Oscar nominations were announced yesterday, it was women who made the headlines.

Greta Gerwig became the first female director nominated in eight years for her work on Lady Bird, Mary J Blige became the first person to ever be nominated for both an acting performance and an original song, and while no awards have been given out just yet, women were the big winners after yesterday’s announcement. However, there was one woman, in particular, that wrote herself into history yesterday. Rachel Morrison became the first female cinematographer ever to be nominated for an award in the 90-year history of the show. The 39-year-old is nominated for her work on the Netflix film, Mudbound, starring Carey Mulligan and Mary J Blige. This nomination follows that from the American Society of Cinematographers which was equally historic. Taking to Twitter yesterday to comment on her Oscar nomination, Rachel told followers to remember that “anything is possible”.

“Today’s Oscar nom couldn’t have seemed further away not long ago so I hope it tells all the dreamers out there (especially the young girls with cameras in their hands) that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. “Thank you to Dee Rees and to the Academy for making my dream a reality.”

Rachel is best known for her work on projects like Cake, Fruitvale Station and the upcoming Black Panther. The 39-year-old’s first work as the primary cinematographer was on Palo Alto and the MTV hit series, The Hills. Mudbound also received nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay, and both Best Supporting Actress and Best Original song for Mary J Blige. The Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre on March 4.