Fil-Am 'Sinners' cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw makes Oscars history

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January 23, 2026 | 8:15am

LONDON, United Kingdom — "Sinners" scored a whopping 16 nominations for this year's Academy Awards, including one for director of photography Autumn Durald Arkapaw, a historic nod on its own.

The Filipino-American filmmaker is the first woman of color to be nominated for the Oscars' Best Cinematography category.

Arkapaw is Filipino from her mother's side and African American Creole on her father's side.

She is also just the fourth woman nominated for the cinematography Oscar after Rachel Morrison in 2018 for "Mudbound," Ari Wegner in 2021 for "The Power of the Dog," and Mandy Walker the following year for "Elvis." All the category's winners have been men.

Morrison — the first female cinematographer to be nominated — previously shot "Sinners" director Ryan Coogler's films "Fruitvale Station" and "Black Panther," the latter a winner of three Academy Awards and its sequel was actually shot by Arkapaw.

This year, Arkapaw is up against Adolpho Veloso for "Train Dreams", Michael Bauman for "One Battle After Another," Dan Laustsen for "Frankenstein" and Darius Khondji for "Marty Supreme."

RELATED: 'Sinners' breaks all-time Oscars record with 16 nominations

Laustsen and Khondji have been nominated twice before while Arkapaw, Veloso, and Bauman are first-time nominees. All are up for their first Oscar.

Arkapaw shot "Sinners" on Imax 65mm and Ultra Panavision, the female director of photography to ever do so.

Coogler picked up nominations as the director, writer, and co-producer of "Sinners," meanwhile, there were surprise supporting role nominations for Wunmki Mosaku and Delroy Lindo.

Michael B. Jordan received a Best Actor nomination for his portrayal of the Smoke and Stack twins. All three actors and their co-stars, including Filipino-American Hailee Steinfeld contributed to "Sinners" being nominated for new category Best Casting.

"Sinners" costume designer Ruth E. Carter — who won Oscars for the "Black Panther" movies — scored her fifth-ever nomination, making her the most-nominated Black woman in Oscars history.

The film's other nominations were for Film Editing, Production Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Song, Original Score, Sound, and Visual Effects.

RELATED: Hailee Steinfeld reflects on Filipino-Black heritage for 'Sinners' role