rss-bridge 2026-02-27T19:00:00+00:00

‘Sinners’ Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw on Her Chance to Make Oscar History: ‘When Women Are Met with Opportunity, the Sky’s the Limit’

The Oscar-nominated cinematographer talks about what it would mean to be the first woman to win the award, Ryan Coogler’s faith in her, and the career journey that led her to this point.

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Filmmaker Toolkit

‘Sinners’ Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw on Her Chance to Make Oscar History: ‘When Women Are Met with Opportunity, the Sky’s the Limit’

The Oscar-nominated cinematographer talks about what it would mean to be the first woman to win the award, Ryan Coogler’s faith in her, and the career journey that led her to this point.

By Chris O'Falt

[Chris O'Falt Writer Indiewire]

Chris O'Falt

VP, Features Strategy

https://twitter.com/cofalt/

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‘Sinners’ Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw on Her Chance to Make Oscar History: ‘When Women Are Met with Opportunity, the Sky’s the Limit’

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[Black and white photo of cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw with IMAX camera on 'Sinners']

Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw with IMAX camera on "Sinners"

Eli Adé

After shooting “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”and now being nominated for an Oscar for her work on “Sinners,” Autumn Durald Arkapawhas entered the elite circle of Hollywood’s top cinematographers. Her journey there went through indie film and was far from a traditional path. While on this week’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, Arkapaw reflected on not growing up in the business, how she discovered she wanted to be a cinematogrpaher, her old advertising boss who bought her an UCLA Extension night course to get her started, and how not getting into American Film Institute the first time led her to travel with the Sundance Channel’s “ On the Road in America” docuseries to get the experience to successfully apply a second time.

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