Netflix’s ‘Mudbound’ Scores 4 Oscar Nominations, Including The First Female Best Cinematographer Nominee In Oscar History

It’s been a particularly good start to 2018 for Netflix. Just 12 hours after reporting their ridiculously high Q4 earnings, the streamer had another major success: Netflix received a slew of Academy Award nominations this morning, 4 of which honor their critically acclaimed period drama Mudbound.

Mudbound‘s Oscars nominations makes history in a number of ways. Most notably: the film’s director of photography, Rachel Morrison, is the first woman nominated for the Best Cinematography award in the 90 year history of the Academy Awards. It may have taken the  Academy 90 years to honor a woman in this category, but Morrison’s work on the film is well worth celebrating.

In addition to Morrison’s honor, Netflix received their first ever Academy Awards nomination in a major acting category for Mary J. Blige‘s performance as Florence Jackson, the matriarch of a poor black family. Blige was also nominated in the Best Original Song category for “Mighty River,” making her the first person ever nominated for an acting performance and an original song for the same film.

The fourth Mudbound nomination went to writer-director Dee Rees and Virgil Williams in the Best Adapted Screenplay category. According to David Sims of The Atlantic, Rees is only the second black woman to receive an Oscars nom for writing, making the film all the more groundbreaking.

Netflix also came away strong on the documentary front. Two of the five Best Documentary Feature nominees are Netflix films: Icarus, Bryan Fogel’s exploration of a major doping conspiracy, and Strong Island, Yance Ford’s account of her brother’s unlawful murder. Netflix’s Heroin(e), which tells the story of three women battling the opioid crisis, also earned a nomination in the Best Documentary Short category. Additionally, On Body And Soul was nominated for Best Foreign Language film.

Congratulations, Netflix!

Stream Mudbound on Netflix