By Blessing Nweke
Autumn Durald Arkapaw made history Sunday night after winning the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for the film Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler. Her victory marks a milestone at the Academy Awards, as she became the first Black cinematographer ever to receive the prestigious honor.
During her emotional acceptance speech, Arkapaw asked all the women in the room to stand in recognition of their collective support throughout her journey.
“I don’t get here without you,” she said. “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.”
The film itself also pushed technical boundaries. Arkapaw and Coogler made the bold decision to shoot Sinners entirely using two different large-format systems: Ultra Panavision 70 and IMAX. The project became the first feature film ever to combine those formats, a technically ambitious undertaking that required innovative cinematography techniques.
Arkapaw also achieved another groundbreaking milestone, becoming the first woman cinematographer to shoot a feature film using IMAX 65 mm or any 65 mm film format, according to the American Society of Cinematographers.
In her speech, Arkapaw expressed gratitude toward Coogler for trusting her with the film’s visual storytelling.
“Whenever I say thank you to Ryan, he replies and says, ‘No, thank you,’” she said. “Thank you for believing in me, and thank you for trusting me. And that’s the kind of guy that I get to make films with.”
Before Arkapaw’s historic win, only three women had ever been nominated for the cinematography Oscar: Rachel Morrison for Mudbound, Ari Wegner for The Power of the Dog, and Mandy Walker for Elvis.
Arkapaw previously collaborated with Coogler on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and is also known for her work on The Last Showgirl and Teen Spirit.
Original article
Comments