Autumn Durald Arkapaw is one of cinematography’s most exciting contemporary voices. From her early short films to the box office smash Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Autumn’s impressive filmography boasts a unique and rich visual sensibility. Not content to only work in narrative film, she weaves seamlessly between formats, including a stunning list of music videos with top-tier artists like Rihanna, fan favourite television in Loki (for which she earned an Emmy nomination), and Spike Jonze’s cult classic documentary Beastie Boys Story. Autumn’s expertise in digital and analogue camera work has defined her career and earned her the trust of strong multi-feature collaborators with Directors Gia Coppola and Ryan Coogler. Join us as Autumn shares how she carved her path in a highly competitive, male-dominated industry while elevating each project with her keen aesthetic vision.
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Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Autumn Durald Arkapaw is a visionary feature and commercial cinematographer who heralds a new wave in the cinematographic scene—working with very visual directors to create lush celluloid landscapes.
Her impressive credits include: Gia Coppola’s Palo Alto (2013), Max Minghella’s debut feature film Teen Spirit (2018); director of photography on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), directed by Ryan Coogler; and the director and director of photography for Rihanna’s latest music video for the Oscar-nominated song Lift Me Up from the Wakanda Forever soundtrack.
Autumn became a new member of the American Society of Cinematographers in 2022 and was nominated for an Emmy in the single-camera one-hour drama category for her work on the Marvel series Loki. In the December 2022 issue, Durald Arkapaw was the first woman of color to be featured on the front cover of American Cinematographer magazine for her praised work on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Her latest two films lensed in 2024 will be released next year. The Last Showgirl, her third film with director Gia Coppola, starring Pamela Anderson, Dave Bautista, and Jamie Lee Curtis. Autumn most recently wrapped photography on Ryan Coogler’s next project, which he wrote and directed, starring Michael B Jordan. They photographed the feature in Kodak 65mm film. Durald Arkapaw is the first female cinematographer to ever shoot a feature film in IMAX 65mm and 65mm large-format film.
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