Autumn Durald Arkapaw: First woman, 1st black and 1st Filipino Creole to win an Oscar for Cinematography
By LMarilyn Crawford
She is of Filipino descent through her mother, Peggy Bautista, who hails from Pampanga, Philippines.
Her maternal grandfather, Guillermo Pagan Bautista, was a resistance fighter during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines and a survivor of the Bataan Death March. Autumn Durald Arkapaw considers him “the most important man in my life” and has a tattoo of his initials in Baybayin script on her wrist.
The fact that she chose to honor her grandfather with a tattoo in Baybayin script speaks to her dedication to her Filipino heritage. Baybayin script is an ancient, pre-colonial Philippine script (syllabic alphabet) traditionally used for Tagalog, featuring 17 characters (14 consonants with inherent ‘a’ sounds, three vowels). It was historically used before the Spanish colonization and is now experiencing a resurgence in modern art, tattoos, and cultural branding.
Autumn’s connection to her Filipino heritage is deeply rooted in her family traditions and cultural practices. She grew up surrounded by her mother’s large Filipino family in the Bay Area and credits her “Mama Lyn” as a second mother figure.
Although she hasn’t visited the Philippines, Autumn maintains a strong connection to her roots through food, customs, and storytelling. She loves her culture.
Autumn’s Filipino heritage has significantly influenced her work, particularly in her Oscar-winning film “Sinners.” She’s drawn to stories that explore identity, culture, and family legacy, reflecting her own experiences as a mixed-heritage individual.
As for her Life philosophy, Autumn believes in shooting from the heart and embracing vulnerability in her work. She emphasizes the importance of finding a community that shares her vision, and values creativity over perfectionism.
Autumn’s approach to cinematography is deeply personal, drawing inspiration from her multicultural background and family influences. She’s passionate about telling diverse stories and amplifying underrepresented voices, as seen in her work on “Sinners” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”.
She is married to Australian cinematographer Adam Arkapaw, who was present at her historic Oscars win together with their son Aedan, born in 2016. She also acknowledged her parents who were in the audience, proud as any parents would be!
LMarilyn Crawford is an accomplished and award-winning Brand Architect, known for strategic marketing, investor relations, business development, media relations, and tourism. She was the keynote speaker for Harvard University Women in Business, Air Force, and many more. Entrepreneur and Humanitarian of the Year are among her accolades. She was published by Harvard University, Black Enterprise, and more.
