Filipina American cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who recently broke ceilings by being the first woman, first Filipina American, first woman of color to win the Oscar Best Cinematography award for her work in Ryan Coogler’s award-winning film “Sinners,” was recently honored by the American Film Institute (AFI) with the 2026 Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood last Saturday, April 18.
The 51st AFI Life Achievement Award was also given to comedian Eddie Murphy.
In presenting the award, Spike Lee celebrated Murphy’s remarkable talent and said, “Eddie and I have Brooklyn in our blood. However, Eddie and I took different paths. Eddie made us laugh and made our nation feel better. I took a camera and told stories about how our nation could be better. We both push culture forward. We’re still not even done.”
The 65-year-old Murphy accepted the award to a standing ovation. In his acceptance speech, he said, “Looking out and seeing all my family, all my kids and my beautiful wife. Seeing all the different people that I worked with. This is a special moment. I’d like to thank everybody for this night that I will remember forever and ever.”
The 46-year-old Arkapaw, on the other hand, who graduated with the AFI Class of 2009, was dressed in a black-and-white Thom Browne long jacket over a white dress when she accepted her award to thunderous applause.
The Schaffner Alumni Medal recognizes the extraordinary creative talents of AFI Alumni who embody the qualities of filmmaker Franklin J. Schaffner.
Arkapaw said, “AFI is where I learned how to believe in my gut, to appreciate those people around me who wanted to story tell in new ways. There’s such a beautiful power that comes with finding your community.”
Accompanied by her family at the event – her husband, son, mother and stepfather – Arkapaw said in her acceptance speech, “I was at AFI a few weeks ago, speaking to a Women in Cinematography class and sitting in front of the room, looking back at the students and remembering the same time I was in that room, sitting there listening to Matthew Libatique. My heart was full of admiration and hope for the future.
“Throughout my career, I would always keep moments like those close, always reminding myself that I had a dream for myself that would be possible one day and I would be able to inspire, just as Matty did for me.
“Ever since I realized I wanted to be a cinematographer, I’ve been constantly chasing that feeling I had when I first saw some of my favorite films – ‘The Last Emperor,’ ‘Legends of the Fall,’ ‘Raging Bull,’ ‘Malcolm X.’
“I remember exactly how I felt when I saw these films for the first time. That feeling stayed with me and it has always stayed with me, and it drives me to make images that mean something and stay with you. I know I’ve found a great filmmaking partner in Ryan Coogler, because he also yearns for that feeling and to give that gift to audiences. We’re now on a project, and we’re so excited to make something special that shapes you and wakes you up.
“We want to give our audiences that bravery, that hope, that excitement, and that love that we felt in the theater when we were little. Our eyes are wide open.
“We find strength and faith in humanity when we can make that feeling a reality for others. AFI is where I learned how to believe in my gut, to appreciate those people around me who wanted to storytell in new ways. That program was perfectly suited for someone like me and eventually led me here tonight.
“I have so much appreciation for my beautiful teachers. They always push me to find my eye. There’s such a beautiful power that comes with finding your community. I talk about it often with my brother. We are nothing without those that care for us, believe in us and allow us to break bread with them. Finding the right person to go to war with and making people feel what’s in your soul is everything.
“I learned how to find that power in my voice by Gia Coppola and Ryan Coogler, a family. And when they call me to tell me that we’re going to make a film, I put on my armor, and I give it everything that I have.
“That admiration for story and storytelling is the heart and soul of what the AFI program is made of. My beautiful family is here today with me, my son Aedan. And they allow me to go off and play make-believe for a short period of time. I am not a cinematographer and a mother without them. Thank you for supporting me so I can be both.
“I remember the first time I saw “Macbeth,” to film my husband at a market with his bestie, Justin Kurzel. I sat in the movie theater, and my eyes and chest were blown open. Every frame in that film had something to say, and I felt the filmmakers asking me to feel with them. I wanted to one day give that feeling back to Adam (Arkapaw) and bless that cinematographer as my husband inspires me every day to chase my dreams.
“I always tell students, ‘You are enough. Fear is not an option, but everything that makes you who you are in your work. Make work that’s confident, brave, and it shouts, I’m here!’ Something that Eddie has always shown us to. We are better artists when we put it all out there. As Ryan (Coogler) always tells me, just be yourself. I love you and I thank you for helping me, make me. Thank you for helping me, make me the cinematographer I am today.
Byron Allen, Martin Brest, Jerry Bruckheimer, Colman Domingo, David Alan Grier, Walter Hill, Jaafar Jackson, Keegan-Michael Key, Sugar Ray Leonard, Nia Long, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Joe Piscopo, and more filled the Dolby Theatre.
The event began with welcome remarks from Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO and featured tributes honoring Murphy, including speeches from Belle Aykroyd on behalf of her father Dan Aykroyd, Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, Arsenio Hall, Kevin Hart, Martin Lawrence, Eva Longoria, Tracy Morgan, Mike Myers, Judge Reinhold, Chris Rock, Kenan Thompson, Robert Townsend, Stevie Wonder, and a rousing performance from Jennifer Hudson with a house band led by Rickey Minor.
The special gala tribute will premiere on Netflix on May 31.
The event raised over $2.5 million, and all proceeds from the AFI Life Achievement Award support the American Film Institute as a nonprofit organization.
