Oscar history | Autumn Durald Arkapaw becomes first woman and Black cinematographer to win

Autumn Durald Arkapaw has made Oscars history after becoming the first woman and the first Black cinematographer to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

The milestone moment came during the 98th Academy Awards, which are being held at the Dolby Theatre on Monday (16 March IST). Durald Arkapaw’s win marks a breakthrough for representation in one of the film industry’s most technically dominated categories.

The ceremony, hosted for a second consecutive year by Conan O’Brien, is taking place amid heightened global security concerns as geopolitical tensions continue to rise following ongoing military operations involving the United States and Israel in Iran.

This year’s awards race has been dominated by two films. Sinners leads the nominations with a record-breaking 16 nods, while One Battle After Another follows with 13 nominations. Both films entered the ceremony as major contenders across several categories.

A wide range of stars are presenting awards throughout the evening, including Priyanka Chopra, along with several of last year’s acting winners such as Adrien Brody for The Brutalist, Mikey Madison for Anora, and Zoe Saldaña for Emilia Pérez.

Other presenters scheduled to appear during the ceremony include Chris Evans, Will Arnett, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Demi Moore and Kumail Nanjiani.

The ceremony began at 6.30pm ET (4am IST). Viewers in the United States can watch the broadcast on ABC and E!, while audiences in India can stream the event on JioHotstar.

Durald Arkapaw’s win is widely seen as a historic moment for cinematography, a category that has historically seen limited diversity among its nominees and winners. Her victory is expected to reignite conversations within the industry about representation behind the camera as well as on screen.

(AP)