Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw Blends Genres and Formats for 'Sinners'

Ryan Coogler's Southern-Gothic vision combines 5-perf 65mm Ultra Panavision and 15-perf 65mm Imax.

Published on Feb. 6, 2026

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Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC and writer-director Ryan Coogler blend genres and formats for 'Sinners,' a fresh Southern-Gothic vision. Set in 1932, the film tells the story of twins Smoke and Stack who return to their hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi to disentangle from the Chicago Mob. They purchase an old lumber mill, intending to create a juke joint to showcase the talents of their cousin Sammie, but soon discover that racists and supernatural creatures stand in their way.

Why it matters

This case marks the first time 5-perf 65mm Ultra Panavision and 15-perf 65mm Imax formats have been combined on a feature film. It is also the first time a woman cinematographer has shot a feature in Imax 65mm or any 65mm film format.

The details

Durald and Coogler chose to shoot most of the picture in Ultra Panavision 70, which was used on a handful of epics in the '50s and '60s and revived for The Hateful Eight. They shot about 20% of the movie in Imax, favoring the 50mm and 80mm Panavision lenses that had been custom-built for Christopher Nolan and Hoyte van Hoytema on Oppenheimer. Durald also used a custom Petzval 80mm lens on the Imax camera for a dreamlike moment, and a Canon EF 1200mm USM super-telephoto lens to capture a full moon.

  • The film's narrative transpires over 24 hours.

The players

Autumn Durald Arkapaw

The cinematographer who teamed with Ryan Coogler on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and shot Sinners using a combination of 5-perf 65mm Ultra Panavision and 15-perf 65mm Imax.

Ryan Coogler

The writer-director of Sinners, who wanted to push the boundaries in figuring out how to best tell the story.

Michael B. Jordan

The actor who plays the twin roles of Smoke and Stack in the film.

Miles Caton

The actor who plays Sammie, the cousin of Smoke and Stack.

Saul Williams

The actor who plays Pastor Jedidiah, Sammie's father.

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What they’re saying

“Ryan wants to push the boundaries when figuring out how to best tell a story, and this combination asks the viewer to really use their eyes and scan the image, going from this very wide landscape to the taller Imax frame. You wouldn't think these formats would work together, but they do. It immerses you in the characters' mindsets.”

— Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Cinematographer (theasc.com)

“When Ryan gives me a directive like that, I hit the ground running.”

— Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Cinematographer (theasc.com)

“To have three Black women as heads of departments on a big movie is rare, so I don't take that lightly. It's important for us to make sure these types of stories are being told properly, and that we give our ancestors something to be proud of.”

— Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Cinematographer (theasc.com)

What’s next

The film is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2026.

The takeaway

Sinners represents a groundbreaking collaboration between cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw and director Ryan Coogler, who pushed the boundaries of filmmaking by blending 5-perf 65mm Ultra Panavision and 15-perf 65mm Imax formats to create a fresh Southern-Gothic vision. This innovative approach, combined with the contributions of an all-star creative team, promises to deliver a visually stunning and immersive cinematic experience for audiences.