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Autumn Durald Arkapaw Is First Woman to Win Best Cinematography Oscar for Sinners

Her large‑format film achievement and onstage appeal to women’s support capped a record night for Ryan Coogler’s period drama.

Overview

  • Arkapaw’s win makes her the first woman and the first Black woman to receive the Academy Award for cinematography.
  • She is credited as the first woman to shoot a feature on IMAX 65mm and combined it with Ultra Panavision 70 for the film’s visuals.
  • During her acceptance, she thanked director Ryan Coogler and asked the women in the Dolby Theatre to stand, saying she reached the moment with their support.
  • Sinners led the ceremony with a record 16 nominations and also won Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan.
  • Before this year, only three women had ever been nominated in the category, underscoring the rarity of recognition for female cinematographers.