Autumn Durald Arkapaw First Woman to Win Best Cinematography

Autumn Durald Arkapaw arrives on the red carpet of the 98th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 15, 2026.

Sinners’ director of photography Autumn Durald Arkapaw did it! She  become the first woman to win the Oscar for best cinematography for her work on “Sinner.”

The  98th Academy Awards honored Durald, who previously worked with director Ryan Coogler on the sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

She is only the fourth woman nominated for the award, and the first woman of colour. (Previous nominees include Rachel Morrison for Mudbound, Ari Wegner for The Power of the Dog and Mandy Walker for Elvis.)

She thanked from the Los Angeles stage the cast and crew of the film. The crowd erupted in volcanic applause hen Durald asked all the women in the room to rise to their feet. This was a moment in film history that was for all women. She acknowledged her path was paved with gratitude and saying she wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for them.

Durald beat out Darius Khondji  of “Marty Supreme,” Michael Bauman of “One Battle After Another” and Adolpho Veloso of “Train Dreams.”

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