Rachel Morrison, ASC to Receive AFI’s 28th Annual Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal

The award honors outstanding achievements of American Film Institute conservatory alumni and will be presented to the cinematographer on June 7, 2018.

Portrait by Danna Kinsky

The American Film Institute (AFI) announced that cinematographer Rachel Morrison, ASC (AFI Class of 2006) will receive the 2018 Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal. This honor recognizes the extraordinary creative talents of AFI Conservatory alumni who embody the qualities of filmmaker Franklin J. Schaffner: talent, taste, dedication and commitment to quality storytelling in film and television. The presentation of the Schaffner Medal will take place at the AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute to George Clooney in Hollywood on June 7, 2018.

Over the course of a remarkable 40-year career, Franklin J. Schaffnerearned a total of 28 Academy Award nominations and the Best Director Oscar for Patton,in 1970. Schaffner's association with AFI began in 1975, with his election to the AFI Board of Trustees, and lasted until his passing in 1989.

Morrison made history this year as the first woman ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, for her work on Mudbound (2017). Morrison also broke ground as the first woman to shoot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the record-breaking blockbuster Black Panther (2018). Morrison's body of work boasts nearly 50 credits in less than two decades — including the films Fruitvale Station (2013); Cake (2014); Dope (2015); What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015) and Confirmation(2016). 

She is the recipient of a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, an ASC Award nomination and a New York Film Critics Circle Award.

In 2017, the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal was presented to Frederick Elmes, ASC.

Previous recipients of the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal are David Lynch (1991), Edward Zwick (1992), Randa Haines (1993), Martin Brest (1994), Jon Avnet (1995), Carl Franklin (1996), John McTiernan (1997), Amy Heckerling (1998), Mimi Leder (1999), Terrence Malick (2000), Darren Aronofsky (2001), Todd Field (2002), John Dahl (2003), Patty Jenkins (2004), Paul Schrader (2005), Marshall Herskovitz (2006), Gary Winick (2007), Mark Waters (2008), Steve Golin (2009), Janusz Kamiński (2010), Steven Rosenblum (2011), Wally Pfister, ASC (2012), Stuart Cornfeld (2013), Anne Garefino (2014), Caleb Deschanel, ASC (2015) and Lesli Linka Glatter (2016).