Autumn Durald Arkapaw


Autumn Cheyenne Durald Arkapaw is an American cinematographer. For her work on the film Sinners, she became in 2026 the first woman of color nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

Early life and background

Durald was born in Oxnard, California, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is of Filipino descent on her mother's side and African American Creole on her father's side.

Education

She attended Loyola Marymount University and studied art history. She graduated from the AFI Conservatory's cinematography program in 2009.

Career

After graduating college, she worked in advertising and later as a camera assistant on films.
In 2022, she became a member of the American Society of Cinematographers.
She shot the 2025 film Sinners on 65 mm film using a combination of IMAX 15-perf and Ultra Panavision 70 cameras, which made her the first female director of photography to shoot any movie on large format IMAX film. For her work on Sinners, she became in 2026 the first woman of color nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

Filmography

Film

Documentary film
YearTitleDirectorNotes
2015The Reflektor TapesKahlil JosephWith Lol Crawley and Malik Hassan Sayeed
2020Beastie Boys StorySpike Jonze

Television

Music video

Selected awards, honors, and nominations

  • In 2014, Indiewire named her as one of the "On The Rise: Cinematographers To Watch".
  • In 2014, Variety named her as one of ten "Cinematographers to Watch".
  • In 2014, Variety named her as one of the "Up Next" in their Below The Line Impact Report.
YearAwardCategoryNominated workResult
2022Black Reel AwardsOutstanding CinematographyBlack Panther: Wakanda ForeverNomitated
2022Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series Loki
2022Visual Effects Society AwardsOutstanding Virtual Cinematography in a CG ProjectLoki
2025New York Film Critics Circle AwardsBest CinematographySinnersWon
2025National Board of Review AwardsOutstanding Achievement in CinematographySinnersWon
2026Academy AwardsBest CinematographySinners
2026British Academy Film AwardsBest CinematographySinners
2026Critics' Choice AwardsBest CinematographySinnersNomitated
2026National Society of Film CriticsBest CinematographySinnersWon

Personal life

Durald is married to Australian cinematographer Adam Arkapaw; the couple has one child.