“There’s never enough time to execute what you want so you always have a clock on your back, you know.”
Latasha M. Ford with Awards buzz had an opportunity to catch-up for an exclusive behind-the-scenes interview with Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the first woman cinematographer to shoot a feature film on 65mm in IMAX format and Ultra Panavision 70. This in-depth conversation details Ms. Arkapaw’s career, including her work with Ryan Coogler on “Sinners,” her favorite projects, and her journey as a trailblazer in the film industry.
The interview highlights Arkapaw’s achievements and the support she has received, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the impact of her work and her responsibility to inspire others. She discusses her experiences in the film industry, focusing on the importance of female representation, the impact of motherhood on her work ethic, and the value of inclusive sets and sisterhood. Autumn explores the importance of a cinematographer connecting with a project, emphasizing the need for inspiration, respect for the director’s vision, and an emotional connection to the material. She also reflects on how her role in “Loki” significantly impacted her career, leading to further opportunities and personal growth, and the challenges of balancing a cinematography career with motherhood, underscoring the importance of family support and prioritizing projects. Lastly, the transparent conversation between Autumn and Latasha also covers the time constraints, on-set challenges, the importance of a great crew, and weather-related difficulties she has encountered throughout her career.
Full interview below:
About “Sinners”
The film is a haunting Southern Gothic epic centered on twin brothers and veterans, Stack Moore and Smoke (played by Michael B. Jordan in a powerhouse dual performance), who return to their Mississippi home as bootleggers intent on opening a juke joint.
However, their dreams are quickly overshadowed by a rising tide of supernatural evil as vampires, Hoodoo, and buried trauma converge in a blood-soaked reckoning. Set in 1932, Coogler’s film operates on multiple levels and acts as a horror send-up that conceptualizes the terrors of the Jim Crow South’s social construction as a figurative sundown town.
At its core, “Sinners” is a blues movie that revolves around Black spirituality and music’s place in the Mississippi Delta community’s evaluation of righteousness and iniquity. The narrative draws references from Black Christianity and Hoodoo, pitting piety against profanity, with music functioning as a turning point toward both salvation and damnation. The twins, Smoke and Stack, return to Clarksdale, Mississippi, aiming to establish their juke joint in a sawmill purchased from a member of the Ku Klux Klan after working for (and ripping off) Al Capone’s Chicago Outfit. Their cousin, Sammie (Miles Caton), a pastor’s son known as Preacher Boy, is an aspiring musician. Despite his father’s warning that the blues is supernatural, Sammie is set on leaving town to pursue a career as a singer and guitarist.
Official Trailer:
