Over almost a century of Oscar history, just three women have ever received nominations in the Best Cinematography category. This past Sunday evening, Autumn Durald Arkapaw—director of photography for Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and the first Black woman ever honored in this category—gave those nominations new significance.
Her victory at the 98th Academy Awards was long overdue, a fact highlighted by the stark underrepresentation of women in the field. According to San Diego State University’s annual Celluloid Ceiling report, women made up only 7% of cinematographers on the top 250 films in 2025. Cinematography consistently ranks among the lowest categories for female representation across all behind-the-scenes roles in Hollywood.
In her acceptance speech, Arkapaw acknowledged the historic weight of her achievement: breaking a glass ceiling for women in filmmaking.
“I really want all the women in the room to stand up, because I feel like I don’t get here without you guys,” she said. “I really, really, truly mean that. I have 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.”
A cinematographer—also known as a director of photography (DP)—is the professional responsible for capturing the visual style and atmosphere of a film or TV production. They act as the bridge between the director’s creative vision and what ultimately appears on screen.
Prior to Arkapaw, only three women had ever been nominated in this Oscar category: Rachel Morrison for Mudbound in 2018, Ari Wegner for The Power of the Dog in 2021, and Mandy Walker for Elvis in 2022. Arkapaw mentioned in her acceptance speech that she had met Morrison in person.
Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s Journey to Becoming an Oscar-Winning Cinematographer
Arkapaw was always destined for a creative path. Born on December 14, 1979, in Southern California to Filipino and African American Creole parents, she was raised by her single mother and her mother’s large Filipino family. Per a profile by the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, this family was “an artistic and talented bunch.” She found inspiration in her mother’s photography work and a large family photo album; growing up, she took pictures and made short films using iMovie.
However, she initially majored in art history at Loyola Marymount University, thinking her future would be in curating art in New York. A genre film class changed her mind, though. Watching Broadway Danny Rose and Raging Bull on the big screen “opened up my mind to film in a new way,” she told Vogue in a September 2025 interview.
“I got excited, and I wanted to know how they were made, and who was behind the camera, and what their job meant,” she added.
After graduating from LMU, she spent three years at AOL-Time Warner in a corporate advertising role. On weekends, she shot an independent short film and eventually committed to a career in cinematography. The small budgets and limited resources of her early projects “gave her the creative freedom and confidence that served her well later when she took on large-scale work,” according to the Alliance of Women Film Journalists. She also enrolled at the American Film Institute, where she built her career steadily—even shooting music videos for artists like The Weeknd, Arcade Fire, and Solange—before breaking into feature films.
“It sounds crazy now because there weren’t as many female cinematographers [at that time],” she told Vogue. “My parents didn’t even know what a cinematographer was. I’m about to quit a good job, go to film school instead, and end up owing the government lots of money?”
Collaborating with Ryan Coogler Transformed Her Career
Arkapaw first worked with Coogler on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in 2022, then shot Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl in 2024 before reuniting with Coogler for Sinners.
While filming Sinners, Arkapaw also broke technical barriers: she became the first female director of photography to shoot using large-format IMAX 65mm film. Sinners received a record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations and won four awards: Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Original Score.
Arkapaw’s success philosophy has always been rooted in self-belief.
“Believe in yourself more than anyone else,” she told Panavision. “If you have confidence in yourself and your ideas, you can achieve your goals. My mother always taught me I could achieve anything with hard work and belief.”