Filipino-American Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw Just Made History With Her Oscar Nomination

The 2026 awards season just got more exciting with the recent announcement of the movies and performances nominated at 2026 Academy Awards. Among the many films recognized this year, Ryan Coogler’s bold, bloody, and transcendent vampire movie Sinners came out the biggest winner with a historic 16 nominations. With that haul, the movie made history as the most-nominated film ever in the Academy Awards’ history. The fact that it was done by a black-led, original horror movie makes the feat that much more impressive. And part of the movie’s historic achievements includes the fact that Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the movie’s Filipino-American cinematographer, was also nominated, making multiple firsts in the process.  

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Historic Feat

With her nomination for Best Cinematography, Autumn Durald Arkapaw, whose mother is Filipina and father of Afro-Creole descent, not only earned the first Academy Award nomination of her career, but also made Oscar history as the first woman of color and Filipina nominated in that category. To put that in perspective, Autumn is just the fourth woman ever to be nominated in the category, following Rachel Morrison in 2018 for Mudbound, Ari Wegner in 2021 for The Power of the Dog, and Mandy Walker in 2022 for Elvis, as well as the second Filipino since Matthew Libatique, who was nominated for Black Swan in 2010, A Star is Born in 2019, and Maestro in 2024.

“I thought how special it would be for someone in the future to look up this nomination, because I’m the fourth woman. And I know the ones that came before me,” she told Variety in an interview reacting to her nomination. She added that, aside from the honor of the nomination, Autumn hopes that her achievement will serve as an inspiration for young people in knowing that representation matters, even behind the camera. “It means the world when young girls, or film students of similar heritage, come up to me and express their gratitude, not just for the work, but for the fact that they can see someone like themselves behind the camera.”

Framing Hollywood

Even before her Oscar nomination, Autumn already made history when she worked as the cinematographer on Sinners. She became the first female cinematographer to shoot on IMAX 65mm and Ultra Panavision and the first and only cinematographer to shoot in IMAX 15-perf film format using KODAK EKTACHROME film stock, which was specifically made for the movie. It’s also the latest achievement in the Oscar nominee’s steadily growing career in Hollywood.

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Autumn majored in art history at Loyola Marymount University and, in 2009,  graduated from the American Film Institute Conservatory’s cinematography program. That same year, she began her career as a cinematographer and camera operator in the industry. Her career slowly built up before she found herself in high-profile work. Some of her previous films include Palo Alto starring Emma Roberts, Teen Spirit starring fellow first-time Oscar nominee Elle Fanning, Mainstream starring Andrew Garfield, and The Last Showgirl starring Pamela Anderson. She also served  as the cinematographer for all episodes of season one of Loki, where she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series.

Autumn first worked with Ryan Coogler on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, where she served as the movie’s cinematographer. When the first movie’s cinematographer, Rachel Morrison, couldn’t return for the sequel, she recommended Autumn for the job. With the role, Autumn became the second female cinematographer to work on an MCU feature and the second Filipino-American to serve as the cinematographer for an MCU movie, the first being Matthew Libatique, who did the first two Iron Man movies. The project began their collaboration that continued with Sinners, where Ryan chose Autumn to help bring the movie’s stunning visual story and craft to life.

Aside from movies and TV, the American Society of Cinematographers member has also lensed commercials for major brands like Samsung, Nike, and Google Chrome. She has also worked with her fair share of A-list musicians. She served as the cinematographer for the music videos of Jonas Brothers, SZA, The Weeknd, and Rihanna, to name a few.

​Publications like Variety and IndieWire have praised Autumn for her mesmerizing imagery, and with her first Oscar nomination, Autumn Durald Arkapaw is on her way to becoming a creative force in Hollywood to watch.

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Featured Image and Photos: AUTUMN DURALD ARKAPAW (via Website), PROXIMITY MEDIA (via Instagram)

The post Filipino-American Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw Just Made History With Her Oscar Nomination first appeared on MEGA.

Filipino-American Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw Just Made History With Her Oscar Nomination
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