History was just made at the 2026 Oscars. Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman and first African-American person ever to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for her work on Sinners. With this victory, a woman has now won in all non-gendered competitive categories at the Oscars—a feat that took 98 editions of the ceremony to achieve.
During her acceptance speech, she commended her fellow female filmmakers. “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 have 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.”
In a sweet gesture, Sinners director Ryan Coogler got up from his seat and picked up Durald Arkapaw’s 10-year-old son Ayden so he could be closer to the stage, alongside the Sinners crew, while his mom accepted her award. “I wouldn’t have come without him—it’s important that he’s a part of this and that he can be here with me and see all the hard work that goes into making these films,” she told Harper’s Bazaar.
Before Durald Arkapaw’s victory, only three other women had been nominated for Best Cinematography: Rachel Morrison for Mudbound (2017), Ari Wegner for The Power of the Dog (2021), and Mandy Walker for Elvis (2022). Having shot Sinners on Ultra Panavision and IMAX 65mm, Durald Arkapaw is also the first female director of photography to shoot a movie on large-format IMAX film.
Sinners marks the second time Durald Arkapaw worked with Coogler, having previously collaborated on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). Some of her previous projects include Loki, contributing to the signature vintage look of the Disney+ show, a commercial for Instacart that aired before Bad Bunny’s halftime show, and the directing the music video for Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up.”
Although she’s more comfortable behind the camera, Durald Arkapaw knows her time in the spotlight may inspire others. “When you do these awards, you have to do a lot of talks and do these photo shoots, 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. “Sometimes all it takes is seeing someone do what you want to do to get you to take those steps.”
Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman and first African-American person ever to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for her work on Sinners.
With this victory, a woman has now won in all non-gendered competitive categories at the Oscars.
“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 during her acceptance speech.
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Before Durald Arkapaw’s victory, only three other women had been nominated for Best Cinematography.
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Watch Durald Arkapaw’s historic acceptance speech:
Sources: Sinners’ Autumn Durald Arkapaw Invites ‘All the Women’ at 2026 Oscars to Stand Up as She Makes History in Her Category; Autumn Durald Arkapaw Reflects on a History-Making Year, From Sinners to the Super Bowl; Autumn Durald Arkapaw Made History at the Oscars. Here’s How She Prepared for the Night; Autumn Durald Arkapaw Just Made Oscars History: A Timeline Of Women's First Wins
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