Filipino-American cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw made history at the 98th Academy Awards by becoming the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography. The ceremony, held Sunday night in Los Angeles (Monday morning in Manila), also marked her as the first Filipina and the first Black person to receive the prestigious recognition.
Arkapaw earned the award for her work on Ryan Coogler’s genre-defying film Sinners, which led the Oscars with a record 16 nominations and ultimately won four awards, including Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, Best Original Screenplay for Coogler, and Best Original Score for Ludwig Göransson.
Honoring Women and Collaboration in Filmmaking
During her acceptance speech, she called on the women in the audience to rise, highlighting the support she received throughout her career and the film’s awards journey. “I’m so honored to be here, and I really want all the women in the room to stand up because I feel like I wouldn’t be here without you guys,” she said. “I really, really, truly mean that.” She also expressed gratitude to the cast, crew, her family, and paid tribute to Coogler, with whom she had previously collaborated on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
“Whenever I get to thank Ryan, he replies and says, ‘No, thank you. Thank you for believing in me and thank you for trusting me,’” she shared. “That’s the kind of guy that I get to make films with,” she added.
Arkapaw is only the fourth woman to ever be nominated in the cinematography category, joining Rachel Morrison (Mudbound), Ari Wegner (The Power of the Dog), and Mandy Walker (Elvis). Prior to her Oscar win, she had already been celebrated for her contributions to the field, receiving critics’ awards from the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics, and nominations from the BAFTA Awards, Critics’ Choice Awards, and the American Society of Cinematographers Awards.
Breaking Technical Barriers and Inspiring Future Filmmakers
Born in Oxnard, California, and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Arkapaw is of Filipino heritage on her mother’s side and African American Creole on her father’s. Her win joins her with fellow Filipino cinematographer Matthew Libatique, further showcasing Filipino talent on the global stage. Arkapaw also became the first woman to shoot a feature film on IMAX, utilizing large-format IMAX 65mm and Ultra Panavision 70 cameras, pushing technical boundaries in filmmaking.
Sinners marked her second collaboration with Coogler, and the film had already generated significant buzz before the Oscars. With 16 nominations, it became a record-setter, demonstrating the global appeal of diverse storytelling and technical innovation. Other major winners included One Battle After Another for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay; Jessie Buckley for Best Actress; Amy Madigan for Best Supporting Actress; and Sean Penn for Best Supporting Actor.
Arkapaw’s historic victory not only sets a precedent for women and people of color in cinematography but also highlights the growing influence of Filipino talent in the international film industry, inspiring future generations of filmmakers from the Philippines and beyond.
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