Debbie Berman
South African film and television editor
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Debbie Berman is a South African film and television editor. She is best known for her editing work on multiple movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Spider-Man: Homecoming, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel.[1][2]
Debbie Berman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 December 1978 Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Occupations | Television and film editor |
| Years active | 2001-present |
Life and career
She was born in Johannesburg, South Africa.[3] She attended High School Victory Park, part of the King David Schools, and was introduced to video editing.[4] She would edit films for school events and personal projects.[4] She began editing television shows and movies in South Africa, before moving to Vancouver, Canada.[3] After editing Space Chimps and Invictus, Berman moved to Los Angeles, where she was placed on the editing team for Spider-Man: Homecoming, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel.[3]
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Berman suggested re-shoots for scenes of Liz and Peter interacting to make Liz's character feel more genuine.[5] While working on Black Panther, Berman convinced director Ryan Coogler to do reshoots on the final battle scene, to include the female Jabari warriors.[3][6][7] She said that the film's style is based on James Bond and The Godfather and she began work on the production a few months later than the rest of the crew.[8][9] In 2018, she was inducted into the American Cinema Editors[10] Guild. Her most recent work includes being an editor for Love and Monsters, a monster adventure film released in October 2020.[11]
In August 2020, it was announced that she will be making her directorial debut by directing an adaptation of Don Handfield and Joshua Malkin's graphic novel Unikorn, which was published in 2021.[12]
Filmography
Film
As editor
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Within | John A. Curtis, Merlin Ward | |
| 2008 | Space Chimps | Kirk DeMicco | |
| 2009 | The Zero Sum | Raphael Assaf | Edited with Cheryl Buckman |
| 2011 | Touchback | Don Handfield | Edited with Ryan Eaton |
| 2012 | Black November | Jeta Amata | |
| 2012 | The United | Amin Matalqa | Unreleased |
| 2015 | The Final Girls | Todd Strauss-Schulson | |
| 2017 | Spider-Man: Homecoming | Jon Watts | Edited with Dan Lebental |
| 2018 | Black Panther | Ryan Coogler | Edited with Michael P. Shawver |
| 2019 | Captain Marvel | Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck | Edited with Elliot Graham |
| 2020 | Love and Monsters | Michael Matthews | Edited with Nancy Richardson |
Berman was also credited as part of the editorial departments of Ripper 2: Letter from Within (2004), Reflection (2004), Good Session (2015), and The Jesuit (unreleased).[13] She was the visual effects editor for In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007) and Invictus (2009).[13]
Television
As editor
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2001-02 | Big Brother South Africa | |
| 2003 | Big Brother Africa | |
| 2004 | Making the Cut | |
| 2009 | Peak Season | Three episodes |
| 2010-11 | Haven | Six episodes) |
| 2016 | Mad Dogs | Three episodes) |
| 2016 | Timeless | One episode |
Awards and nominations
- 2012 recipient of the Sally Menke Editing Fellowship from the Sundance Institute.[14]
- 2018 - Black Panther (nominated with Michael P. Shawver) - Saturn Award - "Best Editing"[13]
- 2019 - Black Panther (nominated with Michael P. Shawver) - Alliance of Women Film Journalists - "Best Film Editing"[15]
- 2019 - Black Panther (nominated with Michael P. Shawver) - Columbus Film Critics Association - "Best Film Editing"[16]