Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/832212
71 Q2 2017 / CINEMONTAGE 71 Q2 2017 / CINEMONTAGE first African-American female member of ACE or her long list of awards and accolades for her efforts, it is not difficult to join her host of devotees. Additionally, she adds "giving back" to her admirable profile through mentorships, college and university lectureships, and professional activism benefiting young, aspiring editors. For all these reasons, and so many more, I am thrilled that the Editors Guild has chosen her to receive this very deserving award. Chas. Floyd Johnson Friend/Colleague; Producer n T o know about my enduring friendship with Lillian is to know the story about a hat. Back in the late '70s, when I was on staff at a sound studio in New York City, Lillian and I met for the first time when she came to my room in search of some production library music. It was a very cold day and she was wearing a pretty wool hand-crocheted hat that I admired. "Oh," she said, "this is my Sunday Goin' to Meetin' hat. My friend made it; she has a shop down on Third Street." Never having heard that hat description before, I was immediately charmed, and we had fun together selecting music for her film. Tragically, a few months later, The New York Times published a photo of the shop and reported how the owner had been fatally shot as she tried to defend her earnings in the cash register from a robber. I reached out to Lillian by phone to offer condolences, and we met for lunch — and have continued working (and lunching) together these many years, even after she left for LA. I'm indebted to Lillian for bringing me into Blackside where we worked on Eyes on the Prize II and other documentaries, which allowed me to become an independent music supervisor. And the hat? Lillian gave it to me before she moved to California, and I wear it every winter — even though I don't go to church! Rena C. Kosersky Friend/Colleague; Music Supervisor n S torytelling is in Lillian Benson's blood. In the 20 years I've known her, she has never wavered in the pursuit of her craft and stories to tell. Her creativity is boundless. I met Lillian during the production of the second series of Eyes on the Prize. I was very young in my career; I'd never met a woman film editor, let alone a woman of color who was a film editor. Lillian was so generous with her time. She let me sit in the editing room whileshe worked, explaining why she made particular cuts and how the characters spoke to each other. It was from her that I learned how a talented editor could make significant contributions to the arc of a story. She was always sure of her choices and edits; they were made with deliberation and careful thought. It amazed me how much she thought about the characters — whether fictional or historical — and their motivations. I also learned from her the importance of using my voice, and that as a young woman of color working in media, I might have to make my voice known more often in order to be heard or noticed. I'm so proud and profoundly fortunate to have had Lillian's mentorship early in my career; her influence on me and other women in film had an enormous impact, still felt to this day. I'm honored to offer these words in celebration of Lillian. Valerie Linson Friend/Colleague/Mentee; Producer n I met Lillian in 1997, when I served as her assistant editor on Death by Hanging, a harrowing HBO documentary that was set in Hampton Roads, Virginia (the area where I grew up), though the film was edited in Jersey City. At that time, I was a film student at NYU, but she took me under her wing and was committed to making sure that I learned something while I worked with her. Talent comes a dime a dozen in this business, but what sets Lillian apart is that not only is she talented, she is also a genuinely good person. She opened up her home to me for two months when I was in LA working on the independent film All About You. Since then, she and I have become friends and colleagues. She cut my last short film, Bird. Needless to say, I was honored to have an Emmy Award- nominated editor cut my nine-minute short with a budget that was a scintilla above shoestring. But she did it because she believed in me — and in the story. Lillian has taught me a lot, and she has already committed to speaking to my Film Direction and Editing class at Hampton University this semester. I can't wait to share with my students what she has been sharing with me for almost 30 years! Because of the great respect that I have for Lillian, I actually address her as "Ms. Benson." After all, it wouldn't be right for me to call one of my mentors in the film business by her first name. Booker T. Mattison Friend/Colleague/Mentee; Producer, Associate Professor of English & Film Studies, Hampton University n O f the various projects on which Lillian and I collaborated, there is one particular memory that stands out. Lillian, ever the consummate professional, never came along on a shoot, including interviews…with one exception. We were so fortunate to get Harry Belafonte to contribute his eloquence to a documentary about an event in which he was one of many players. Lillian didn't — or wouldn't — missthis one. After the interview was over and Mr. Belafonte left, she promptly announced, "Well, we went to church today." I never took it religiously, and I don't think that's how she meant it. She was referring to the church of life. And Mr. Belafonte certainly can tell us a thing or two about that. That was just so Lillian — so smart, so