Will Fil-Am Autumn Durald Arkapaw make history at the Oscars?

LOS ANGELES – If Autumn Durald Arkapaw wins the Best Cinematography

The trailblazing director of photography, whose roots originate from Pampanga on her mother’s side and the American South on her father’s side, will be shattering several glass ceilings for women and minorities should her name be read aloud when the Best Cinematography envelope is opened on stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

The cinematography category is the only category not yet won by a woman in the Academy’s 98 years of existence. And Autumn is only the fourth woman to be cited, following Rachel Morrison in 2018 for “Mudbound,” Ari Wegner (“The Power of the Dog,” 2022) and Mandy Walker (“Elvis,” 2023).

You may like: Fil-Am cinematographer on her historic Oscars nod and Filipino roots

Best Cinematography

“One Battle After Another,” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, goes into one battle after another with “Sinners” on Oscars night. Photo from Warner Bros

“One Battle After Another’s” Michael Bauman is standing in Autumn’s way since he won in the American Society of Cinematographers Awards, usually a good indicator of who will win in the Oscars and the BAFTAs. Autumn, on the other hand, reaped the cinematography award from most critics groups, including the National Board of Review, for her visually stunning work in “Sinners,” an acclaimed vampire horror film that explores race relations.

Best Picture

In the Best Picture derby, Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another,” a father-daughter thriller that reflects American politics and fascism (so relevant), conquered the Producers Guild of America Awards, a reliable bellwether of which one will bag the top prize in the Oscars. But who knows – Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” may pull off a surprise win since the Academy and the PGA differed in their Best Picture votes 10 times, the last in 2019 when the Oscars chose Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” over PGA’s “1917,” directed by Sam Mendes.

Best Actor, Actress

This image released by Warner Bros Pictures shows Michael B. Jordan, foreground from left, Michael B. Jordan and Omar Benson Miller in a scene from “Sinners.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

It’s in the Best Actor field where “Sinners” has a strong card. Michael B. Jordan, having won the Screen Actors Guild’s renamed Actor Awards earlier, is predicted by awards pundits to take home the gold statuette. If Michael does triumph, he will be the first Best Actor winner for playing twin brothers.

Also in strong contention are Timothée Chalamet (Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme”) and Wagner Moura. If the latter prevails for Kleber Mendonca Filho’s “The Secret Agent,” Wagner will be the first Brazilian to cop the Best Actor Oscar and the first Brazilian to win in any acting category.

This image released by A24 shows Timothée Chalamet in a scene from “Marty Supreme.” (A24 via AP)

As I write this, Jessie Buckley looks unbeatable in the Best Actress race for Chloe Zhao’s masterpiece, “Hamnet.” If Jessie does triumph for her portrayal of Agnes, William Shakespeare’s wife, coping with grief and loss, she will be the first Irish to earn the Oscars’ top actress honors.

Best Supporting Actor, Actress

Sean Penn’s Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw, an unforgettable, ruthless right-wing military officer in “One Battle…,” is the frontrunner in the Best Supporting Actor category, leading other contenders that include Stellan Skarsgard (“Sentimental Value”), Jacob Elordi (“Frankenstein”), Delroy Lindo (“Sinners”) and Benicio Del Toro (“One Battle…”). However, Delroy could pull an upset for his world-weary blues musician.

For her portrayal of a scary aunt in “Weapons,” Amy Madigan is the best supporting actress frontrunner. Photo from Warner Bros

Sponsored

If Amy Madigan does win as Best Supporting Actress for her scary Aunt Gladys in Zach Cregger’s “Weapons,” following her victory at the Actor Awards, she will set a new record for an actress with the longest gap between a first Oscars nod and a first triumph – 40 years since her first nomination for Bud Yorkin’s “Twice in a Lifetime” in 1986.

But Teyana Taylor could pull a surprise for her turn as a revolutionary group leader in “One Battle…” Wunmi Mosaku, a Hoodoo healer in “Sinners,” is also a favorite.

Best Director

Since Paul Thomas Anderson won in the Directors Guild of America Awards, he has the edge as he walks into the Academy’s red carpet on Sunday. But if Ryan Coogler triumphs, he will be the first Black to pick up the Best Director trophy. He is only the seventh Black to get an Academy Best Director citation.

Best International Feature

In the Best International Feature race, a category where a nomination has been elusive to the Philippines for nearly 70 years, Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” leads the pundits’ forecasts. But if “The Secret Agent” rules, it will be a back-to-back win for Brazil, which ran off with the prize for the first time last year for Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here.”

Best Animated Feature

This image released by Netflix shows characters Zoey, from left, Rumi and Mira in a scene from “KPop Demon Hunters.” (Netflix via AP)

If “KPop Demon Hunters” does capture the Best Animated Feature, as awards prognosticators predict, Maggie Kang and Michelle Wong will be the first South Korean winners of this category. Chris Appelhans is nominated with the duo. Last year, Gints Zilbalodis’ “Flow” became the first Latvian film to conquer this field, which Pixar and Disney had long dominated.

Best Original Song

“KPop…” may also romp off with the Best Original Song for its “Golden,” another first time for South Koreans, including Ejae, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Teddy Park. Mark Sonnenblick co-wrote “Golden,” which could become the first KPop song to win an Oscar. Huntr/x’s Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Reu Ami will perform  “Golden” in the televised show.

Ejae | FILE PHOTO

A “Golden” victory would mean Diane Warren, nominated for “Dear Me” from her documentary “Diane Warren: Relentless,” will break her tie with sound mixer Greg P. Russell, and she will be the sole record holder for the most nods without a win with 17 nominations.

Diane, dubbed as the Susan Lucci of the Oscars, referring to the soap opera actress who did not win an Emmy despite 18 consecutive nominations (she finally won in 1999), is sport about the record, especially since she has won an honorary Oscar. She is the highly respected veteran composer of such pop hits as “Because You Loved Me,” “How Do I Live,” and “Un-Break My Heart.”

Best Original and Adapted Screenplay

In the writing categories, the bets are on “Sinners’ ” Ryan Coogler (Best Original Screenplay) and “One Battle…’s” Paul Thomas Anderson (Best Adapted Screenplay).

The winners in the above fields and in the other categories not mentioned here will be revealed in the show hosted by Conan O’Brien.

The Dolby Theatre and Hollywood Boulevard are being spruced up before the red carpet is rolled out for the Oscars this Sunday, March 15. Photos by Ruben V. Nepales.

Among the presenters are Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Robert Downey Jr., Demi Moore, Anne Hathaway, Paul Mescal, Gwyneth Paltrow, Adrien Brody, Javier Bardem, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Chase Infiniti, Mikey Madison, Will Arnett, Kumail Nanjiani, Maya Rudolph, Zoe Saldaña, Rose Byrne, Nicole Kidman, Jimmy Kimmel, Delroy Lindo, Ewan McGregor, Wagner Moura, Pedro Pascal, Bill Pullman, Lewis Pullman, Channing Tatum and Sigourney Weaver.

Hollywood’s biggest night will air live on ABC and stream live on Hulu on Sunday, March 15, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, with the official live red carpet show airing at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

The post Will Fil-Am Autumn Durald Arkapaw make history at the Oscars? appeared first on USNewsRank.