It’s Autumn Season for Best Cinematography
Monday, January 19, 2026 at 9:00PM 
Ryan Coogler and Autum Durald Arkapaw while filming SINNERS. (Courtesy: Eli Adé)
After 98 years, history might just be made in Best Cinematography. Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the cinematographer of SINNERS, is the current frontrunner for Best Cinematography, the last non-gendered Oscar category yet to have a female winner. Born of African-American and Filipino descent, Arkapaw has worked for more than a decade. Her resume includes Palo Alto, Teen Spirit, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and The Last Showgirl. In Sinners, Arkapaw already made history for being the first female cinematographer to have shot a film on large format IMAX film.
The history of women nominated for this category has unfortunately been short and recent. The list includes...