Who is Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the Fil-Am cinematographer behind ‘Sinners’?

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino-American cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw reaches another historical feat in the 98th Academy Awards as the first woman of color — and only the fourth woman — to be nominated in the Best Cinematography category for Sinners.

Arkapaw, whose mother is Filipina and father of Afro-Creole descent, was nominated alongside Darius Khondji of Marty Supreme, Michael Bauman of One Battle After Another, Adolpho Veloso of Train Dreams, and Dan Laustsen of Frankenstein.

The vampire-horror film Sinners by Ryan Coogler garnered a record-breaking total of 16 nominations at the 98th Academy Awards last Thursday, January 22. 

The woman behind the camera direction, Arkapaw, notably became the first woman cinematographer to shoot in IMAX 65mm and Ultra Panavision, and the first and only cinematographer to shoot in IMAX 15-perf film format using KODAK EKTACHROME film stock.

She and Coogler have previously worked together on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in 2022.

Before Hollywood

Arkapaw was born in December 1979 in Oxnard, California, and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. She received her BA in Art History at Loyola Marymount University, and MFA in cinematography at the American Film Institute (AFI) in 2009.

Her interest in cameras and films sprouted during childhood. She recalled watching many Woody Allen films as a kid with her mother, falling in love with photography as a high schooler, and developing a passion for film and cinematography as an undergraduate. 

After college, she found herself working in advertising, yet found no passion despite the well-paying job. Shortly after she left, she worked as a camera operator, studied a short cinematography course at the University of California, Los Angeles, and later applied to AFI.

In the moment

Arkapaw gained more camera experience through shooting music videos such as “Power is Power” by SZA, The Weeknd, and Travis Scott, and “Falling” by HAIM; and stand-up TV specials, such as Aziz Ansari’s Right Now. 

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Eventually, she earned attention with the drama Paolo Alto by Gia Coppola, which had its world premiere at the 2013 Biennale di Venezia. 

Her other film projects include One & Two (2015) by director Andrew Droz Palermo, Teen Spirit (2019) by director Max Minghella, The Sun Is Also a Star (2019) by director Ry Russo-Young, and Mainstream (2020) by director Gia Coppola, before turning to works in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Arkapaw worked on the six-episode series Loki (2021) for Disney+, which earned her an Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Cinematography for A Single-Camera Series category. Her work alongside director Coogler in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had also made her appreciate the director more since her initial admiration for him placing women on a platform, as he had done with all of his films.

She was recommended by Rachel Morrison, the first movie’s cinematographer and fellow AFI graduate, when the latter couldn’t return for the sequel. This also makes Arkapaw the second Filipino-American cinematographer in an MCU movie after Matthew Libatique of Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010). 

Arkapaw’s husband is Emmy-winning Australian cinematographer Adam Arkapaw. The couple has a son. – Claire Masbad/Rappler.com

Claire Masbad is a Rappler intern studying AB Communication Arts at De La Salle University.