Flonique Guimary

Fil-Am Autumn Durald Arkapaw makes Oscar history as first woman to win award for Best Cinematography

Article (news)

Alyana De Guzman

Push Team

<p>Filipino-American cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw has made history after becoming the first woman to win Best Cinematography at the 98th Academy Awards. She is also the first woman of color to receive the award in the category.   </p><p>Autumn earned the prestigious recognition for her work as the Director of Photography of the film <em>Sinners</em>, directed by Ryan Coogler. The award was presented during the Oscars ceremony on March 15 (March 16 PHT). </p><p>Before her historic win, Autumn had already been recognized for pushing technical boundaries in filmmaking. She became the first female cinematographer to shoot a feature using Ultra Panavision and IMAX 65mm cameras. She also remains the only cinematographer to have used an IMAX 15-perf camera with KODAK EKTACHROME film stock. </p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/celebrities/2026/3/14/fil-am-oscar-nominee-autumn-durald-arkapaw-graces-vogue-ph-march-cover-2228" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>READ: Fil-Am Oscar nominee Autumn Durald Arkapaw graces Vogue PH March cover</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>Taking the stage to accept the award, Autumn expressed gratitude to Ryan, reflecting on their creative partnership. </p><p>“Whenever I say thank you to Ryan, he replies and says: ‘No, thank you for believing in me and thank you for trusting me’, and that’s the kind of guy I get to make films with,” she said. </p><p>Autumn also used the moment to honor the women who supported her journey, saying: “I am so honored to be here, and I really want all the women in the room to stand up because I feel like I don’t get here without you guys. I really really truly mean that.” </p><div><br/></div><div><iframe width="315" height="576" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/86FNjgpdkh4" title="California native Autumn Durald Arkapaw makes Oscar history" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><p>She acknowledged fellow cinematographer Rachel Morrison, emphasizing the solidarity she felt from women throughout the awards season. “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, and I want to thank you for that.” </p><p><em>Sinners </em>marked Autumn’s second collaboration with Ryan following their work on <em>Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.  </em></p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/movies-series/2026/2/25/here-s-what-fil-am-oscar-nominee-autumn-durald-arkapaw-considers-the-most-thrilling-part-of-her-job-2340" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>READ: Here&#x27;s what Fil-Am Oscar nominee Autumn Durald Arkapaw considers the most thrilling part of her job</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>The film Itself had already made waves ahead of the ceremony. In January 2026, <em>Sinners</em> broke records with 16 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography, among others.  </p><p>In the nearly century-long history of the award, only three women had previously been nominated for Best Cinematography including Rachel Morrison for <em>Mudbound</em> in 2018, Ari Wegner for <em>The Power of the Dog</em> in 2021, and Mandy Walker for <em>Elvis</em> in 2022.</p>

<p>Filipino-American Director of Photography Autumn Durald Arkapaw made history after becoming the first woman to win the award for Best Cinematography at the Oscars for her work on “Sinners,” marking a milestone for women and a proud moment for the Filipino community worldwide. </p>

Filipino-American Director of Photography Autumn Durald Arkapaw made history after becoming the first woman to win the award for Best Cinematography at the Oscars for her work on “Sinners,” marking a milestone for women and a proud moment for the Filipino community worldwide.