---
name: "Rachel Morrison"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/rachel-morrison"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "27 April 1978"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 77
average_as: "director"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-09-17T18:36:18.592883+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Rachel Morrison

Director. Born 27 April 1978 in Massachusetts, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 27 April 1978, Massachusetts, USA
- **Active:** 2013–present
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar nomination
- **Average Fi1m score:** 77, as director, over 2 titles
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Morrison, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19668712, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121126/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/984113

## Coming up

- *Love of Your Life* (2026-10-07), Director — [page](https://film.one/film/love-of-your-life.md)

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*American Crime Story*](https://film.one/tv/american-crime-story.md) (78), [*The Mandalorian*](https://film.one/tv/the-mandalorian.md) (76)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Rachel Morrison

> Rachel Morrison brings a cinematographer’s attention to faces and movement into her directing. We value her preference for believable people over glossy sentiment, and her feature debut gives us reason to follow the move.

Rachel Morrison favours a camera close to the actor’s eyeline, with handheld movement that keeps us alongside the person on screen. In *The Fire Inside* (2024), her feature directing debut, she brings that approach to boxing, making the fighter’s experience the priority. We rate the way she keeps action physical and personal. There is a clear reason for the camera to be moving.

That habit developed through cinematography, beginning with independent films and documentaries in the early 2000s. Her work as director of photography on *Fruitvale Station* (2013), with director Ryan Coogler, established a grounded, sympathetic approach that remained useful as the productions grew larger. *Mudbound* (2017) adapted her responsive, documentary-rooted camerawork to period drama, while *Black Panther* (2018) kept an interest in individuals within a blockbuster.

Her television directing began in 2015 with *American Crime* and *Quantico*, and included ‘Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore’ for *The Mandalorian* in 2023. We enjoyed *The Mandalorian* (2019) for its brisk action and humour, which gave its bounty-hunting adventures enough life to sustain an evening. The masked lead remained underwritten, but there was enough character elsewhere to compensate. That is a worthwhile setting for a director interested in combining spectacle with intimate drama. Our enthusiasm belongs to the series as a whole, however; it should not be mistaken for a verdict on her episode alone.

The naturalistic performances in *The Fire Inside* give us a more direct reason to follow her. They suggest an attention to actors that matters when a cinematographer takes charge of the whole film. We are still cautious about making larger claims for her storytelling, because keeping us close to a character is only part of the job. Start with that feature debut if it is Morrison’s directing, rather than her photography, that interests you.

## Biography

Rachel Morrison (born 27 April 1978) is an American cinematographer and director. She graduated from the AFI Conservatory with an MFA in cinematography in 2006. She began her career in television, receiving an Emmy nomination for the 2005 documentary Rikers High.

Morrison's cinematography credits include Fruitvale Station (2013), Dope (2015), Cake (2014), Mudbound (2017) and Black Panther (2018). For Mudbound she became the first woman nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

She has directed episodes of American Crime Story, The Morning Show and The Mandalorian (2023). Her feature directorial debut was the biographical sports drama The Fire Inside (2024).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, wikiwand.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

### Directed (2) — the average rests on these

- *The Mandalorian* (2019), Fi1m 76, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-mandalorian.md)
- *American Crime Story* (2016), Fi1m 78, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/american-crime-story.md)

## Complete filmography (32)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Love of Your Life* (2026), Director — coming soon, [page](https://film.one/film/love-of-your-life.md)
- *The Fire Inside* (2024), Director, Executive Producer
- *They Call Me Magic* (2022), series, Director of Photography
- *Homemade* (2020), series, Writer, Editor, Director of Photography, Director
- *Hightown* (2020), series, Director
- *Seberg* (2019), Director of Photography
- *The Mandalorian* (2019), series, Director — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-mandalorian.md)
- *The Morning Show* (2019), series, Director
- *Black Panther* (2018), Director of Photography
- *Mudbound* (2017), Director of Photography
- *Confirmation* (2016), Director of Photography
- *American Crime Story* (2016), series, Director — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/american-crime-story.md)
- *Quantico* (2015), series, Director
- *Dope* (2015), Director of Photography
- *The Harvest* (2015), Director of Photography
- *American Crime* (2015), series, Director
- *What Happened, Miss Simone?* (2015), Additional Photography
- *Cake* (2014), Director of Photography
- *Little Accidents* (2014), Director of Photography
- *Druid Peak* (2014), Director of Photography
- *Fruitvale Station* (2013), Director of Photography
- *Some Girl(s)* (2013), Director of Photography
- *Dorfman in Love* (2013), Director of Photography
- *Any Day Now* (2012), Director of Photography
- *Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie* (2012), Camera Operator, Director of Photography
- *Last Words of the Holy Ghost* (2011), Cinematography
- *The Terrys* (2011), Director of Photography
- *Sound of My Voice* (2011), Director of Photography
- *Palo Alto, CA* (2007), Director of Photography
- *Redemption Maddie* (2007), Writer
- *Just an American Boy: A Film About Steve Earle* (2003), Director of Photography
- *The Savant*, series, Director

## Gallery

- ![Rachel Morrison](https://film.one/media/person/95900/gallery-a3f95ebf74dd.jpg) Rachel Morrison — Frank Sun, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Rachel_Morrison_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_2.jpg/1280px-Rachel_Morrison_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_2.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Barry Jenkins and Rachel Morrison at the premiere of "The Fire Inside" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival](https://film.one/media/person/95900/gallery-0ea539a7cfc1.jpg) Barry Jenkins and Rachel Morrison at the premiere of "The Fire Inside" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival — Frank Sun, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Barry_Jenkins_and_Rachel_Morrison_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival.jpg/1280px-Barry_Jenkins_and_Rachel_Morrison_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Rachel Morrison and Barry Jenkins at the premiere of "The Fire Inside" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival](https://film.one/media/person/95900/gallery-8ca05e16c34e.jpg) Rachel Morrison and Barry Jenkins at the premiere of "The Fire Inside" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival — Frank Sun, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Barry_Jenkins_and_Rachel_Morrison_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_3.jpg/1280px-Barry_Jenkins_and_Rachel_Morrison_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_3.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Jason Crutchfield, Rachel Morrison, and Brian Tyree Henry attend the premiere of "The Fire Inside" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival](https://film.one/media/person/95900/gallery-47c11c1eefd5.jpg) Jason Crutchfield, Rachel Morrison, and Brian Tyree Henry attend the premiere of "The Fire Inside" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival — Frank Sun, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Jason_Crutchfield%2C_Rachel_Morrison%2C_and_Brian_Tyree_Henry_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival.jpg/1280px-Jason_Crutchfield%2C_Rachel_Morrison%2C_and_Brian_Tyree_Henry_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Rachel Morrison](https://film.one/media/person/95900/gallery-5d159f40a2ae.jpg) Rachel Morrison — Image via TMDB
- ![Jason Crutchfield, Rachel Morrison, and Brian Tyree Henry attend the premiere of "The Fire Inside" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival](https://film.one/media/person/95900/gallery-c466967b980d.jpg) Jason Crutchfield, Rachel Morrison, and Brian Tyree Henry attend the premiere of "The Fire Inside" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival — Frank Sun, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Jason_Crutchfield%2C_Rachel_Morrison%2C_and_Brian_Tyree_Henry_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_2.jpg/1280px-Jason_Crutchfield%2C_Rachel_Morrison%2C_and_Brian_Tyree_Henry_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_2.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Rachel Morrison and Barry Jenkins embrace at the premiere of "The Fire Inside" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival](https://film.one/media/person/95900/gallery-7e4a7453fa85.jpg) Rachel Morrison and Barry Jenkins embrace at the premiere of "The Fire Inside" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival — Frank Sun, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Rachel_Morrison_and_Barry_Jenkins_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_4.jpg/1280px-Rachel_Morrison_and_Barry_Jenkins_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_4.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 2018: Best Cinematography (nominated), for *Mudbound*

### Other awards — 1 won

- Kodak Vision Award 2013: Kodak Vision Award (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/rachel-morrison