Autumn Durald Arkapaw has made history after becoming the first woman to win the Best Cinematography award at the Academy Awards, marking a major milestone in the film industry.
Arkapaw secured the honour at the 98th Oscars for her work on the film Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler.
Her victory also makes her the first woman of colour to win the category, which has existed for nearly a century and has traditionally been dominated by male cinematographers.
Taking the stage to accept the award, Arkapaw paid tribute to women who supported her journey in filmmaking and invited them to stand in recognition of their contributions.
“I’m so honoured to be here, and I really want all the women in the room to stand up because I feel like I don’t get here without you guys.
I have felt so much love from all the women on this whole campaign and 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,” she said.
The win is widely seen as significant given the history of the category. Before Arkapaw’s victory, only three women had ever been nominated for Best Cinematography: Rachel Morrison for Mudbound, Ari Wegner for The Power of the Dog, and Mandy Walker for Elvis.
Arkapaw, whose previous credits include Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, also became the first female cinematographer to shoot on IMAX 65mm and Ultra Panavision for Sinners.
During her acceptance speech, she thanked Coogler for the opportunity to work on the project.
“Thank you for believing in me and thank you for trusting me, and that’s the kind of guy I get to make films with,” she said.
The 2026 Oscars ceremony, held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, saw multiple wins for Sinners. Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor, while Coogler took home Best Original Screenplay.
Coogler’s win placed him among a small group of Black writers to win the category, following Jordan Peele, who won in 2018 for Get Out.
Jordan also joins a select list of Black actors who have won the Best Actor Oscar, alongside Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker and Will Smith.
Sinners entered the ceremony with 16 nominations—the highest ever received by a single film in Oscars history, and ended the night with four awards.
Beyond the accolades, the film has also recorded strong commercial success, grossing about $368 million worldwide while earning critical praise for its blend of genre storytelling, social history and cinematic spectacle.
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