Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Arkapaw in 2025
Born
Autumn Cheyenne Durald

(1979-12-14) December 14, 1979 (age 46)
Oxnard, California, U.S.
Education Loyola Marymount University (BA)
American Film Institute (MFA)
Occupation Cinematographer
Years active 2007–present
Spouse
Adam Arkapaw
​
(m. 2015)​
Children 1
Website autumndurald.com

Autumn Cheyenne Durald Arkapaw (née Durald; born December 14, 1979)[1] is an American cinematographer. For her work on the film Sinners (2025), she became the first woman of color to be nominated, and the first woman to win, an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. On television, she received a nomination at the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for Outstanding Cinematography for her work on the Loki episode "Lamentis" (2021).

Early life and education

Arkapaw was born Autumn Cheyenne Durald in Oxnard, California,[2] grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is of Filipino descent on her mother's side and Black Creole on her father's side.[3][4] The Filipino side of her family is Catholic.[5] She has described her maternal grandfather, Guillermo Pagan Bautista of Pampanga, who was a resistance fighter during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines and a survivor of the Bataan Death March, "the most important man in my life" and "one of the biggest influences on my childhood and my family".[3] She has a tattoo of her grandfather’s initials, in Baybayin script, on her wrist.[3]

Arkapaw graduated from San Ramon Valley High School in Danville, California in 1997.[6][unreliable source?] She graduated in 2002 from Loyola Marymount University where she studied art history.[7] She graduated from the AFI Conservatory's cinematography program in 2009.[8]

Career

After graduating from college, Arkapaw worked in advertising and later as a camera assistant on films.[7] In 2019, she was invited to join the Cinematographers Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[9] In 2022, she became a member of the American Society of Cinematographers.[10]

Arkapaw shot the 2025 film Sinners on 65 mm film using a combination of IMAX 15-perf and Ultra Panavision 70 cameras,[11][12] which made her the first female director of photography to shoot any movie on large format IMAX film.[13][14] For her work on Sinners, she became the first woman of color (Arkapaw is of Filipino and Black Creole descent) to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.[15] She won the award at the 98th Academy Awards, becoming the first female cinematographer, first black person, and first Filipino, to win in the category.[16][17][18]

Personal life

Arkapaw married Australian cinematographer Adam Arkapaw in 2015.[19] They have one child.[20]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Director Notes Refs.
2009 Macho Rafael Palacio Illingworth As Autumn Durald
2011 Guadalupe the Virgin Victoria Giordana
2013 Palo Alto Gia Coppola As Autumn Cheyenne Durald
2015 One & Two Andrew Droz Palermo As Autumn Durald
2018 Untogether Emma Forrest
Teen Spirit Max Minghella
2019 The Sun Is Also a Star Ry Russo-Young
2020 Mainstream Gia Coppola
2022 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Ryan Coogler [21]
2024 The Last Showgirl Gia Coppola
2025 Sinners Ryan Coogler

Television

Year Title Director Notes
2007 On the Road in America Jerome Gary Episode "New York"
2010 Portraits of Braddock Aaron Rose Documentary film
2016 Untitled Sarah Silverman Project Charlie McDowell TV movie
2018 Jimmy Returns, The 2018 Oscars Paul Feig TV short
2019 Aziz Ansari: Right Now Spike Jonze Stand-up comedy
2021 Loki Kate Herron Season 1
2023 The Kick of Destiny Mike Warzin 3 episodes

Music videos

Year Title Artist Director Refs.
2013 "Desert Days" Haim Tabitha Denholm
"Falling" [22]
"Strong" London Grammar Sam Brown [23]
"Hearts Like Ours" The Naked and Famous Campbell Hooper [24]
"Lovers in the Parking Lot" Solange Knowles [25]
"Primetime" Janelle Monáe Alan Ferguson [26]
"Overdose" Little Daylight Campbell Hooper [27]
2014 "Ashley" Big Sean Ellis Bahl [28]
"Wasted" Tiësto Tabitha Denholm [29]
"You're Not Good Enough" Blood Orange Gia Coppola [30]
2015 "Porno" Arcade Fire Kahlil Joseph [31]
2019 "Sucker" Jonas Brothers Anthony Mandler [32]
"Power Is Power" SZA
The Weeknd
Travis Scott		 [33]
2022 "Lift Me Up" Rihanna Herself [34]

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Refs.
2022 Black Reel Awards Outstanding Cinematography Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Nominated [35]
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour) Loki Nominated [36]
Visual Effects Society Awards Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a CG Project Nominated [37]
2025 New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Cinematography Sinners Won [38]
National Board of Review Awards Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography Won [39]
2026 Academy Awards Best Cinematography Won [40]
Black Reel Awards Outstanding Cinematography Won [41]
British Academy Film Awards Best Cinematography Nominated [42]
British Society of Cinematographers Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film Nominated [43]
Critics' Choice Awards Best Cinematography Nominated [44]
National Society of Film Critics Best Cinematography Won [45]
American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography Nominated [46]

Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement
Publisher Year Listicle Placement Ref.
IndieWire 2014 On the Rise: Cinematographers to Watch Included [47]
Variety Cinematographers to Watch Included [48]
Below the Line Impact Report: Up Next Included [49]

References

  1. ^ "Autumn Durald Arkapaw". The Talks. October 22, 2025.
  2. ^ Strauss, Bob (2025-05-15). "'Sinners' is back in IMAX. Fans have this Bay Area cinematographer to thank". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
  3. ^ a b c Carpio, Audrey (2026-02-27). "Autumn Durald Arkapaw Reflects on Her History-Making Year". Vogue Philippines. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  4. ^ Ryzik, Melena (2026-03-16). "Autumn Durald Arkapaw Makes History as First Woman to Win Best Cinematography". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  5. ^ Nepales, Ruben V.; nrueda (2026-02-20). "Fil-Am cinematographer on her historic Oscars nod and Filipino roots". INQUIRER.net USA. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  6. ^ 1997 SRVHS Alumni Website San Ramon Valley High School
  7. ^ a b "Rock the Tribes meets Cinematographer Autumn Cheyenne Durald. | Rock the Tribes". Archived from the original on 2014-05-21. Retrieved 2014-05-21.
  8. ^ Bernstein, Paula (April 23, 2014). "'Palo Alto' DP Autumn Durald On Being a Female Cinematographer". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 2017-03-01.
  9. ^ "ACADEMY INVITES 842 TO MEMBERSHIP". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. July 1, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  10. ^ Williams, David E. (July 29, 2022). "ASC Welcomes Autumn Durald Arkapaw as a New Member". American Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  11. ^ Desowitz, Bill (March 12, 2025). "20 Movies Shot on Film in 2025: Separate Safdie Brothers, Paul Thomas Anderson, and More". IndieWire. Archived from the original on March 12, 2025. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  12. ^ Ryzik, Melena (2026-03-03). "The 'Sinners' Cinematographer Says They 'All Had a Lot on the Line'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  13. ^ VanHoose, Benjamin (April 3, 2025). "Michael B. Jordan Has Fans Seeing Double with Stylish Twin Stunt at Sinners Premiere". People. Archived from the original on June 9, 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  14. ^ Desowitz, Bill (2025-04-19). "Autumn Durald Arkapaw Is the First Woman DP to Shoot in IMAX — with 'Sinners,' It's 65mm on Steroids". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 2026-01-30. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  15. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (January 22, 2026). "'Sinners' DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw Makes Oscar History as First Woman of Color Nominated for Best Cinematography". Archived from the original on January 23, 2026. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  16. ^ "Sinners Autumn Durald Arkapaw becomes first woman to win cinematography Oscar". Los Angeles Times. 2026-03-16. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  17. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (2026-03-16). "'Sinners' DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw Makes Oscar History as First Woman to Win Best Cinematography". Variety. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  18. ^ Davis, Clayton (2026-03-16). "Oscars Postmortem: Paul Thomas Anderson's Six-Month Reign, Ryan Coogler's Historic Platform for Black Women and How Timothée Chalamet Lost the Race". Variety. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  19. ^ Tapley, Kristopher (January 5, 2016). "Ryan Coogler on 'Creed,' Filmmaking as Journalism and the Need for Female Voices (Q&A)". Variety. Archived from the original on 2016-01-06.
  20. ^ "Autumn Durald Arkapaw (@addp) • Instagram photos and videos". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
  21. ^ Purnell, Kristofer. "Meet the Filipino-American cinematographer of 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'". Philstar.com.
  22. ^ "Haim "Falling" (Tabitha Denholm, Dir.)". VideoStatic. February 20, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  23. ^ "London Grammar "Strong" (Sam Brown, dir.)". VideoStatic. July 26, 2013. Archived from the original on October 30, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  24. ^ "The Naked And Famous "Hearts Like Ours" (Campbell Hooper, dir.)". VideoStatic. July 30, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  25. ^ "Solange "Lovers In The Parking Lot" (Solange, Peter J. Brant, Emily Kai Bock, dir.)". VideoStatic. September 18, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  26. ^ "Janelle Monáe f/ Miguel "Primetime" (Alan Ferguson, dir.)". VideoStatic. October 11, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  27. ^ "Little Daylight "Overdose" (Campbell Hooper, dir.)". VideoStatic. December 4, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  28. ^ "Big Sean "Ashley" (Ellis Bahl, dir.) [NSFW]". VideoStatic. February 3, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  29. ^ "Tiesto f/ Matthew Koma "Wasted" (Tabitha Denholm, dir.)". VideoStatic. April 28, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  30. ^ "Blood Orange "You're Not Good Enough" (Gia Coppola, dir.)". VideoStatic. June 9, 2014. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  31. ^ "Arcade Fire Announce "The Reflektor Tapes" Film with "Porno" Video (Khalil Joseph, dir.)". VideoStatic. July 16, 2015. Archived from the original on December 4, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  32. ^ "Jonas Brothers "Sucker" (Anthony Mandler, dir.)". VideoStatic. March 4, 2019. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  33. ^ "SZA, The Weeknd, Travis Scott "Power Is Power" (Anthony Mandler, dir.)". VideoStatic. May 6, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  34. ^ "Rihanna "Lift Me Up" (Autumn Durald Arkapaw, dir.)". VideoStatic. October 31, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  35. ^ Complex, Valerie (2022-12-16). "Black Reel Awards Nominations Announced For 23rd Annual Ceremony; 'The Woman King' And 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Lead With 14 Nominations". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2022-12-16. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  36. ^ "Emmys 2022: Cinematography Nominees on How They Shot the Year's Best Shows". IndieWire. 2022-08-11. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  37. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (2022-01-18). "'Dune' Leads Visual Effects Society Awards Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  38. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 2, 2025). "New York Film Critics Circle: 'One Battle After Another' Takes Best Film; Panahi, Moura, Madigan Among Winners".
  39. ^ Davis, Clayton (December 3, 2025). "National Board of Review Winners 2025: 'One Battle After Another' Dominates With Best Film, Director, Three Acting Prizes". Archived from the original on December 3, 2025. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  40. ^ Aranda, Hyacinth (2026-03-16). "Autumn Durald Arkapaw Wins Best Cinematography at the Oscars". Vogue Philippines. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  41. ^ Pedersen, Erik (2025-12-18). "'Sinners' Dominates With Record 21 Black Reel Awards Nominations". Deadline. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  42. ^ "Bafta film awards 2026: the full list of winners". The Guardian. 2026-02-22. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  43. ^ Dalton, Ben. "'Sinners', 'One Battle After Another' among British Society of Cinematographers nominees". Screen. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  44. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (2026-01-05). "Critics Choice Awards: Full Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2026-01-05. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  45. ^ Schwartz, Missy (2026-01-03). "'One Battle After Another' Wins Best Film, Director From National Society of Film Critics". TheWrap. Archived from the original on 2026-01-17. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  46. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (2026-01-08). "'Sinners' and 'Train Dreams' Among American Society of Cinematographers Nominees". Variety. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  47. ^ The Playlist Staff (August 6, 2014). "On The Rise 2014: Cinematographers To Watch". The Playlist. Archived from the original on March 1, 2015.
  48. ^ Doperalski, Daniel (February 13, 2014). "Variety's 10 Cinematographers to Watch". Variety. Archived from the original on 2014-02-14.
  49. ^ Variety Staff (July 29, 2014). "Below the Line Impact Report – Up Next". Variety. Archived from the original on 2014-08-02.