Joi McMillon is “extremely honored to be making history” for her debut feature film at the 89th annual Academy Awards. This week, the “Moonlight” co-editor was named among the film’s eight nominations as she was recognized ― alongside editor Nat Sanders ― by the Academy in the Film Editing category, making her the first African-American woman to receive a nomination. Written and directed by Barry Jenkins, the film, which took home “Best Motion Picture - Drama” award earlier this month at the Golden Globes, marks a reunion for Jenkins and McMillon, who met during their years as film students at Florida State University. The pair previously collaborated on Jenkins’ 2011 short film “Chlorophyl.”McMillon told The Huffington Post that she understands the milestone comes with a responsibility to cultivate and inspire future film editors of color. “I know whenever this situation happens, whether you want it or not, a lot of times you are the first and you become a role model to the next generation,” she said.

Source: Huffington Post January 27, 2017 17:47 UTC