June 17, 2026
Protected:
Autumn Durald Arkapaw – Alumni in Focus
Alum Autumn Durald Arkapaw (AFI Class of 2009) was recognized at the 98th Academy Awards® as the first woman to win the Oscar® for Best Cinematography for her visionary work on SINNERS. Over her acclaimed career, Durald Arkapaw has built a visually distinctive body of work spanning film, television and music videos, collaborating with filmmakers and artists including Gia Coppola, Spike Jonze, Rihanna, The Weeknd, Jonas Brothers, Solange and HAIM. Her credits include THE LAST SHOWGIRL, BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER, PALO ALTO, Marvel’s LOKI and Apple TV+’s BEASTIE BOYS STORY.
SINNERS also marked a major milestone in large-format filmmaking.
“Being the first woman to shoot a feature film on 65mm on a film like SINNERS means so much to me. There will be lots of girls who will look up who shot our film and be inspired to think big.”
AFI Conservatory Alum Autumn Durald Arkapaw on Her Training at AFI
Just a few days after winning her Academy Award®, she returned to the AFI Campus and spoke to an audience of upcoming cinematographers.
“(AFI) was very important to me.
I needed this place to get me to where I am today.”
Durald Arkapaw developed her approach to cinematography through a combination of technical training and hands-on experience at the AFI Conservatory. In an interview with AFI, she reflected on the importance of trusting one’s artistic instincts.
“You have everything inside of you to have a captivating point of view. It’s up to you to be confident enough to put it out there and make it clear to those around you that it’s important to see.”
Throughout her career, she has credited longtime AFI Cinematography Discipline Head Stephen Lighthill, ASC, as an important mentor, particularly at a pivotal moment early in her career, when his encouragement led her to gain additional set experience and then reapply to AFI.
“Stephen Lighthill will always be one of the most important individuals in my cinematography journey…That was one of the most important decisions that truly shaped my path.”
During a visit to AFI, she also reflected on the constructive criticism and guidance she received from Bill Dill, ASC, the renowned cinematographer and AFI’s AFI’s Dean’s Chair of Visual Storytelling.
“Even at this level, you’re still critiquing your work and you’re still trying to find yourself or the self that you are in 2, 3, 4 years.”
Collaboration has remained central to Durald Arkapaw’s work throughout her career. Her ongoing creative collaboration with director Ryan Coogler has resulted in visually ambitious storytelling across multiple projects, including SINNERS and BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER. Before joining WAKANDA FOREVER, Durald Arkapaw was recommended to Coogler by Rachel Morrison (AFI Class of 2006), who served as cinematographer on the first BLACK PANTHER film.
Durald Arkapaw remains closely connected to AFI and continues to engage with Fellows and the broader community. In her visit, she emphasized the importance of building a support system in film.
“It’s so important to surround yourself with the right people who see you and want to see you advancing… Surrounding myself with people that really believed in me, would recommend me to the right people, were kind and good people… that’s very important.”
From intimate independent films to ambitious large-format productions, Durald Arkapaw continues to expand the possibilities of contemporary cinematography while inspiring a new generation of filmmakers.
Learn more about the AFI Conservatory, ranked one of the top film schools in the nation, and discover how the next generation of filmmakers is trained.
“For me it started (at AFI). I was able to get a good base of understanding, confidence and what it took to look for story, to have that be what it’s about and not just make something look good, ‘cause it doesn’t move people and that’s what you really want to do. This place taught me that. So I was very lucky to come here.”
The AFI Archive is an ongoing program which adds countless new items each year, including exclusive conversations with acclaimed filmmakers and performers captured at AFI, and is on the forefront of state-of-the-art digitization efforts ensuring the stories of today are protected for future generations.
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