Autumn Durald Arkapaw Becomes First Woman to Win Cinematography Oscar

Autumn Durald Arkapaw has made history as the first woman and Black and Filipino American to win the Oscar for cinematography for her stunning work in Sinners.

Arkapaw’s Academy Awards acceptance speech paid tribute to Sinners director Ryan Coogler, and also showed respect to cinematographers Ellen Kuras and Rachel Morrison.

“I felt so much love from all the women on this whole campaign and gotten to meet so many people. And I just feel like moments like this happen because of you guys. And I want to thank you for that,” Arkapaw said, thanking her team. “These people are so beautiful. And I’m honored to be there photographing them, and my husband and my son, Aiden, and my parents back there. Thank you so much. This is an honor.”

During her speech, Arkapaw asked all the women in the room to stand up for a moment of recognition.

Sinners is Arkapaw’s second collaboration with Coogler, and follows her work in 2018’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. “I’ve always wanted to make big movies,” she said in an interview with The New York Times. When speaking about what was on the line with Sinners, she said, “We don’t see movies made like this, by people that look like us, with this format,” adding, “We all had a lot on the line.”

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When speaking to Vogue Philippines, Arkapaw discussed the film’s impact and the power of cinema to connect people. “Even though the subject matter can be difficult for some,” she said, “most people who’ve seen it were really affected. It made them think about the world. It made them think about the Black experience in America.”

Arkapaw’s win is just one of Sinners‘ triumphs at the 2026 Oscars. The film’s star Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor, and director Ryan Coogler won the Oscar for Best Writing, Original Screenplay.