Victoria Mahoney Becomes the Star Wars Universe’s First Black Female Director

With so much momentum behind female directors, another historic moment has been made, as actress/director Victoria Mahoney has become the first black woman to direct a Star Wars film with Star Wars: Episode IX, as reported by Deadline.

Lucasfilm and J.J. Abrams handpicked Mahoney to act as second unit director for the final chapter in the Star Wars saga. This is not Mahoney’s first time behind the camera, as she helmed the 2011 semi-autobiographical film Yelling to the Sky.

Since the release of Yelling to the Sky, Mahoney has directed primarily for episodic television, with credits including Queen Sugar, Grey’s Anatomy, Power, Claws and most recently, Netflix’s Misfits. She spent her early career as an actress, appearing on TV series like Seinfeld and Sliders, and in films like Legally Blonde.