By Charmaine Y. Rodriguez
Autumn Durald Arkapaw is also first woman of colour to bag the award
It was a night like no other for Filipino-American Autumn Durald Arkapaw who became the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Cinematography at the 98th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, March 15.
Arkapaw, who has a Filipino mother and an Afro-Creole dad, was nominated for the her work in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners.
To mark the momentous event, Arkapaw thanked Rachel Morrison, one of a number of female cinematographers who previously received a nomination but didn’t win, according to the hollywoodreporter.com.
And to further emphasize how big the win was for all women, she invited every woman in the Dolby Theatre to stand up so she could “share” the moment with them.
“I’m 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,” she said. “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,” she told the crowd.
So far, she is the fourth female to be nominated for the category and the second Filipino to win the award, according to a report from inquirer.net.
She triumphed over fellow nominees Dan Laustsen (Frankenstein), Darius Khondji (Marty Supreme), Michael Bauman (One Battle After Another) and Adolpho Veloso (Train Dreams).
She began her speech by thanking Coogler, who she had previously worked with in the blockbuster film “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
She also thanked the film’s cast, including Michael B. Jordan, who took home the Best Actor trophy. The film got a total of 16 nominations this year.
Arkapaw is married to Adam Arkapaw, who is also a cinematographer from Australia.
Red Carpet. Autumn walked the red carpet with husband, Adam, and their son, Aidan. (photo from Getty Images)
Although she’s never been to the Philippines, Arkapaw, who was born in California, said she grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area mostly with her Filipino relatives and celebrated Filipino festivals. However, no one from her family is into film and she went to the American Film Institute to learn more about cinematography.
Her nomination sent waves in the Philippines and she guested in podcasts and was featured in the March 2026 cover story for Vogue Philippines. She shared messages of inspiration to girls and women who want to go into the film industry.
“When you do these awards, you have to do a lot of talks and do these photoshoots, and even if that part of it feels uncomfortable to me, I’m okay with it, because I’m so proud of the film, and I want to show other girls that they can also be doing the same job,” she told Vogue Philippines.
Arkapaw was also known as being the first female to use the IMAX 65mm cameras. In an interview with inquirer.net, she said she enjoyed working with director Coogler who supported her vision for the film, Sinners, a film set in 1932 Clarksdale, Mississippi, which is an action-horror film that blends societal oppression with supernatural elements.
Body of work. A scene from the trailer of Sinners, which was shot by Filipino-American cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw. (screen grab from Warner Bros Youtube page)
When asked about her inspiration, Arkapaw shared that she always has a photo of her Filipino grandparents on her camera when she shoots a movie. During the Oscars ceremony, she brought a photo of her grandfather Guillermo Pagan Bautista, who was born in Masantol, Pampanga and survived the Bataan Death March before serving the US Army.
On her wrist, she also has a tattoo in Baybayin, the ancient Filipino form of writing, of characters that form the initials of her grandfather.
“He was always the most important man in my life. One of the biggest influences on my childhood and my family,” she told Vogue Philippines.