Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC, is a visionary cinematographer heralding a new wave on the cinematographic scene. She collaborates with highly visual directors to create lush celluloid landscapes.
Her latest work includes the critically acclaimed and original box office hit Sinners (2025), a period drama with a supernatural twist, written, produced and directed by Ryan Coogler. Set in the 1930s South, the film follows twin brothers, both played by Michael B. Jordan, who return to their hometown only to confront an ancient evil. Sinners marks a major milestone as the first film shot by a female cinematographer using IMAX film cameras: IMAX 65mm and 65mm large-format film.
Among her recent works, The Last Showgirl (2024), directed by Gia Coppola, premiered at TIFF and garnered critical acclaim. The film earned a Golden Globe nomination for Pamela Anderson, who stars alongside Jamie Lee Curtis and Dave Bautista.
Durald Arkapaw held the role of director of photography on Marvel Studios' Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), directed by Ryan Coogler. The sequel grossed over $800 million worldwide. She also directed and shot Rihanna’s final music video, Lift Me Up, from the Wakanda Forever soundtrack, which received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. Also for Marvel Studios, Durald Arkapaw lensed the acclaimed first season of Loki, directed by Kate Herron. Released on Disney+ in June 2021, the series premiered to the highest ratings in the platform's history. She earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Cinematography in the Single-Camera Series (One-Hour) for her work on the series.
In 2022, she became a member of the American Society of Cinematographers. That same year, Durald Arkapaw made history as the first woman of color featured on the cover of American Cinematographer magazine for her celebrated work on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Collaborating with a range of esteemed filmmakers, Durald Arkapaw has lensed for Spike Jonze on Apple TV+’s Beastie Boys Story and the Netflix comedy special Aziz Ansari: Right Now, which they filmed on 16mm film. She also lensed Max Minghella’s Teen Spirit, starring Elle Fanning.
Beyond narrative work, Durald Arkapaw’s filmmaking extends to music videos, having shot projects for Arcade Fire, The Weeknd, Jonas Brothers, Solange and Haim.
Trained at the American Film Institute, she earned her MFA in Cinematography in 2009. Early in her career, she earned recognition as one of Variety’s ‘10 Cinematographers to Watch,’ highlighted in Variety’s ‘Below The Line Impact Report,’ and named in IndieWire’s ‘On The Rise: Cinematographers to Watch.’
Durald Arkapaw is represented by Iconic Talent Agency in the U.S. for features and LUX Artists in the U.K. & Europe.
FEATURES:
ICONIC Devin Mann devin@iconictalentagency.com 310-954-1488
COMMERCIALS: UNITED TALENT AGENCY
Robert Arakelian
arakelianr@unitedtalent.com
310-860-3741
UK & EU FEATURES: LUX ARTISTS Rebecca Fayyad Palud
rebecca@luxartists.net
+44 (0) 207 637 9064