Oscars 2026: Autumn Durald Arkapaw makes history as first woman to win best cinematography
Autumn Durald Arkapaw accepts the best cinematography award for ‘Sinners’ onstage during the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Autumn Durald Arkapaw made Oscars history as the first woman to win the award for best cinematography at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday.
Arkapaw was awarded the prize for best cinematography for her work on Sinners. Arkapaw is only the fourth woman to be nominated in the category, and she is also the first woman of color to be nominated. Now she is the first woman to win the award in the academy’s 98-year history.
The other nominees in the category were Adolpho Veloso for Train Dreams, Michael Bauman for One Battle After Another, Dan Laustsen for Frankenstein and Darius Khondji for Marty Supreme.
After taking the stage to accept her prize, Arkapaw asked all of the women in the room to stand up.
“I feel like I don’t get here without you guys,” Arkapaw said. “I really, really, truly mean that.”
The three other women who have been nominated in the category are Rachel Morrison for the 2018 film Mudbound, Ari Wegner for the 2021 movie The Power of the Dog and Mandy Walker for 2022’s Elvis.
Arkapaw also thanked Sinners director Ryan Coogler.
“Thank you for believing in me and thank you for trusting me, and that’s the kind of guy I get to make films with,” Arkapaw said.
Michael B. Jordan accepts the best actor award at the 2026 Academy Awards. (Disney/Frank Micelotta)
Michael B. Jordan won best actor at the Academy Awards Sunday for his dual role in Sinners, becoming the sixth Black actor to take home the award.
Speaking backstage, he reflected on the honor and the balance between being ambitious and trusting the path meant for you.
“There is a selfishness in understanding that in your craft, in your industry, this is a pinnacle,” he said. “This is what our industry standard is, it’s what we put value on in a big way. That competitiveness, you do want that.”
At the same time, he said success comes down to timing.
“What’s for you is for you,” he continued. “And you can’t take anybody’s blessings away…So I’m just like walking my path, man, and just trying to be locked in.”
He encouraged actors and artists “to keep that in mind” during their journeys, to remain honest and continue dreaming big.
In Sinners, Jordan played twin brothers Smoke and Stack. To prepare, he imagined the history they shared after spending their whole lives together.
“Just imagine you being in a partnership for like 30-something years. How many times they would argue? How many times they would keep score on who’s right and who’s wrong?” he said, noting he built those layers so it could feel like they had a real history.
Director Ryan Coogler said he always believed Jordan was perfect for the role.
“I knew I had to call Mike,” he said backstage. “He ended up calling me before I got to him and asking me if I would be interested in something he was working on independently. And I told him it wasn’t the right time.”
He said Jordan got upset, forcing him to tell him about Sinners earlier than he intended. “Thankfully he said yes,” Coogler said.
Sinners also won the Oscar for best original screenplay.
Pat Finn attends ABC’s ‘The Middle’ 200th episodes celebration on October 28, 2017 in West Hollywood, California. (Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)
Actor and comedian Patrick Finn, best known for his role in ABC’s The Middle, has died, according to a statement from his family.
Finn, 60, died on Dec. 22 following a three-year battle with bladder cancer, which had been in remission but then returned.
Finn began his career as an improv comedian alongside his college pal Chris Farley. His first big break in television came on The George Wendt Show, where he played the brother of Wendt’s character, George Coleman. He went on to recurring roles in shows like Murphy Brown and 3rd Rock from the Sun, and played Bill Norwood on The Middle from 2010 to 2018.
Seinfeld fans knew Finn as Joe Mayo, a character in the episode “The Reverse Peephole,” while Friends fans would remember him as Dr. Roger, Monica’s boyfriend in the episodes “The One That Could Have Been, Part 1” and “The One That Could Have Been, Part 2.”
Finn also appeared in films like Dude, Where’s My Car and It’s Complicated, and was an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado and his alma mater, Marquette University.
He’s survived by his wife, Donna Finn, and their three children as well as his parents and siblings.
Bad Bunny appears on stage during the Super Bowl LX Pregame & Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Press Conference on Feb. 5, 2026, in San Francisco (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation)
During the Apple Music Super Bowl 60 halftime show press conference in San Francisco on Thursday, headliner Bad Bunny said you don’t have to speak his language to enjoy the show he’ll put on this Sunday — you just have to be prepared to shake your booty.
Asked whether he’ll be bringing out any special guests during his performance, Bad Bunny told Apple Music’s Ebro Darden and Zane Lowe, “I don’t wanna give any spoilers. It’s gonna be fun, and it’s gonna easy and people only have to worry about dance.”
“I know that I told them that they had four months to learn Spanish,” he added, referring to what he said in his Saturday Night Live monologue. “They don’t even have to learn Spanish … it’s better if they learn to dance.”
“But I think there’s no better dance than the one that come[s] from the heart. You know, the heartbeat dance,” he continued. “That’s the only thing that they need to worry about, and have fun and enjoy.”
The singer, born Benito Ocasio, said he was grateful for the opportunity, adding, “I’m just trying to enjoy it. … That’s what I’m trying to focus [on] … and trying not to [feel] pressure.”
And while he’s personally pumped for the show, he shared, “I feel more excited about the people than even me — about my family, about my friends, people that I know that they always have believed in me. And they[‘re] happy because [of] this moment [and] the culture. And that’s what … make[s] it special.”
Bad Bunny is convinced that his performance will please his fans all around the world.
“Everyone who stopped me at the street or wherever I go, they only wish, like, good things on me,” he told reporters. “And I know that the world is gonna be happy at this Sunday, and they’re gonna have fun and they gonna dance, and they are gonna have a good time.”
But while many fans can’t wait to see Bad Bunny perform on Sunday, some conservatives have criticized the halftime show choice. They’ve targeted the Puerto Rican native’s songs, which are sung mainly in Spanish, his artistic choices and his vocal support of immigrants in the United States.
Following Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl headliner announcement, conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA announced a counterprogram halftime show, dubbed The All-American Halftime Show, featuring Kid Rock.
Super Bowl 60, a matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, will be held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday.
