The win at the 98th Academy Awards was a long time coming, as is evidenced by the sheer lack of women in the field. Women made up just 7% of cinematographers on the top 250 films in 2025, according to San Diego State University’s annual Celluloid Ceiling report. Cinematography also consistently ranks among the lowest categories in terms of female representation across all of Hollywood’s behind-the-scenes roles. 

During her acceptance speech, Arkapaw recognized the weight of the history she was making: 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 person responsible for capturing the visual look and feel of a film or TV production. They are essentially the bridge between the director’s creative vision and what actually appears on screen.

In the entire history of this Oscar category, only three women have ever been nominated before Arkapaw: 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 personally met Morrison.

How Autumn Durald Arkapaw became an Oscar-winning cinematographer

Arkapaw was destined to be a creative. Born on Dec. 14, 1979, in Southern California of Filipino and African American Creole descent, she was raised by a single mom and her mother’s extensive Filipino family. They were “an artistic and talented bunch,” according to a profile of Arkapaw published by the Alliance of Women Film Journalists. She found inspiration in her mother’s work as a photographer and in a large family photo album; she grew up taking pictures and making short films in iMovie.  

But she later majored in art history at Loyola Marymount University, believing her future was in curating art in New York. One genre film class changed her mind, though. When watching Broadway Danny Rose and Raging Bull on the big screen, it “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—but in a corporate advertising role. She spent weekends shooting an independent short film and eventually committed to a career in cinematography. The small budgets and limited resources she had early on “gave her the creative freedom and confidence that held her in great stead later when she took on large-scale work,” according to the Alliance of Women Film Journalists. She also enrolled in the American Film Institute, where she steadily built her career, even shooting music videos for artists including 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?”

Meeting Ryan Coogler changed her career

Her collaboration with Coogler began with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in 2022, and she later shot Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl in 2024 before working with Coogler again on Sinners. 

Arkapaw also broke technical barriers while shooting Sinners, becoming the first female photography director to shoot on large-format IMAX 65mm film. Sinners took home a record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations, and won four: Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Original Score.

Arkapaw’s philosophy of success 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.”