By James Wilcox
For decades, the NAACP has honored actors, directors, writers, costume designers, make-up and hair artists, and stunt ensemble. But at this weekend’s 57th NAACP Image Awards, history will be made. A new category steps into the spotlight: Outstanding Editing in a Motion Picture or Television Series, Movie or Special.
To some, it may seem like a simple addition. Another envelope. Another name called. Another trophy lifted.
But for Local 700 Board members Stephen Rivkin ACE, Maysie Hoy ACE, and Lillian Benson ACE—who have spent years pressing award shows, festivals, and critics associations to recognize editing—this moment is the result of persistence stretching back for nearly two decades.
The effort gathered steam in 2011, when Rivkin formed the Committee for Creative Recognition, bringing together members of the Motion Picture Editors Guild and American Cinema Editors, petitioning film festivals, critics organizations, and award shows to add an annual editing editing award when cinematography or production design was already recognized.
This year the efforts finally bore fruit. “As the NAACP Image Awards continue to honor Black excellence, we remain committed to adapting to the changing landscape of the industry and ensuring that emerging and established editors alike receive the recognition they have long earned,” the NAACP said in a statement to CineMontage. “Their work is foundational to the success of film and television and deserves to be celebrated, recognized, and awarded for its essential contributions.”
The nominees in this first-ever category are Deanna Nowell (“Ironheart”), Michael P. Shawver (“Sinners”), Ralph Jean-Pierre (“The Beast in Me), Shaheed Qaasim (“Poker Face”), as well as Hoy herself (“Ruth & Boaz”).
The NAACP Image Awards will air live Saturday at 8 p.m. (Eastern) on BET and CBS.
CineMontage recently caught up with Rivkin, Hoy and Benson, whose work has resulted in the “Outstanding Editing in a Motion Picture or Television Series, Movie or Special” category at this year’s Image Awards. An edited versioned of the conversation follows:
Maysie Hoy: This started when I first started working with Tyler (Perry), he and one of the producers, were talking about the Image Awards. And this is back in 2007, 2006. I said to the producer, you know what? You need an editing category to make this award prestigious, valid. And so he goes, yeah, yeah, yeah. whatever. So here we are 20 years later, serendipitously, my friend Milton, who was working at the Asian American Media Alliance called me and said, I’d like to do a panel with the NAACP, and I’d you to be on the panel. And so he goes, well, I’ll get you in touch with a woman named September Hill. And so we had this conference call. And she’s explaining all the different things the NAACP does in terms of workshops and they had a post- production workshop So we talked and talked and then at the end she says is there anything else you’d like to ask? “Yeah — why don’t you have an editing award?”
[In September 2025, Hoy raised the issue again—this time formally, referencing a prior letter from the editors’ committee advocating for recognition.- ed.]
Stephen Rivkin: I think we’ve been pretty successful over the years, but this was something that Maysie brought to my attention when they approached her and Lillian about being participants in their Creative Fest that they had back in September of 2025. Maysie got the ball rolling again because it was probably in their dead letter file.
CineMontage: What was the difference this time around?
Maysie Hoy: September Hill sent an email asking a bunch of detailed questions.
Lillian Benson: She was asking the right questions. How were we going to decide on what would we base the award on? Do we have this committee, that committee, do we have a Black caucus, they wanted to know that we had all of those components in our requirements for membership. And our goals that we set as organizations. That it wasn’t just about getting an award, it was about helping people as they enter the industry.
Stephen Rivkin: They asked how do you judge editing and “Would the Guild and ACE be willing to provide assistance in judging this category?” And we said of course. So I sent them a whole bunch of things that I put together on how to judge good editing, and they incorporated that into their call to entries and call for judges. And then we put out the bulletin to members of ACE and the Guild for judges to volunteer to help out. And we had an abundance of people respond. They were looking for 15 to 20 people, and the judging would happen all online with the volunteers given our suggested judging criteria and guidelines.
Lillian Benson: We tried to select people knowing that not all of the membership is feature-based. We knew we’d have probably one or two feature nominations and probably the rest would be TV. We tried to kind of balance it so that people who had experience in both were good. People who had one or the other. I was aware of the importance of acknowledging television skills, which are different.
Stephen Rivkin: When they started going back and forth with the inquiries, they went up the ladder and then we got a note from them, from September saying it’s been approved and that was in mid-July and that that was very exciting. We announced it to the Guild and to ACE and think they rolled it out officially when Maysie and Lillian did their panel at Creative Fest.
CineMontage: When the announcement finally came during the Creative Fest panel, how did it feel?
Lillian Benson: When September Hill announced to the audience that was there, which was predominantly in their 30s, some people were younger. And the fellowship that they were running was for young people in the beginning of their career, I could see the joy on their faces, which was really, really very nice. And they also didn’t have any idea what it took to get that to happen. But sometimes you do the work of organizing or showing up or mentoring and it bears fruit. And this is one of the great examples of that because to have, you know, if there was no panel, there was no award because there wasn’t critical mass of young people of color or young people who were in different groups, different ethnic groups. And so that’s a joy to see.
Stephen Rivkin: I was there the day Lillian and Maysie did their panel and when it was announced there were cheers in the room. It really made me feel fantastic.
Maysie Hoy: It’s monumental because you don’t get these categories overnight — or ever. And so for us to break that wall and get into a festival, an award show like this, I think it’s really important just because, with the demographics, it’s such a diverse group of people and also to showcase the kind of exceptional work, not just for editors, but for the whole organization. I think that it really gives them a lot of credibility now as an award show.
Stephen Rivkin: As Lillian said, for people of color to have the opportunities to work on projects and to be recognized for it is a beacon. Like, Lillian has become a beacon and an inspiration to a whole other generation and Maysie too. I was so proud of them that day on the panel and seeing them really inspire all of the people that were there that wanted to learn about editing. And it was really gratifying in that way too because I’ve known both of these women for a long time.
Lillian Benson: Now that this award show honors editing as well, people can think about editing as a possible goal for themselves, instead of thinking of acting or directing or writing or cinematography, they can think, “Oh, I can be an editor.” So that it’s for the next generation as much as it is for this generation or the ones that are coming up.
Maysie Hoy: What I love is that, all three of us are in ACE and in the union. And so I think that that’s significant that it wasn’t like an outsider who came up with this idea. And you know for us to have it, I’m just thrilled.
Stephen Rivkin: Although we know the [editing] presentation most likely won’t be part of the televised broadcast, the important thing is when you look in Wikipedia or wherever to see their list of winners every year, historically, this year will mark a change where they’ve added editing to their awards show. Whether it’s on the air or not, it goes in the history books.
James Wilcox, ACE is a member of the Local 700 Publications Committee.
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