Oscar-winner Autumn Dural Arkapaw’s visual inspiration for the film Sinners is in the ICP Library. On March 1, 2026, Durald Arkapaw became the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
In an interview on The Big Picture podcast, she said she was inspired by Eudora Welty’s work. Welty was a short-story writer, novelist, and photographer whose book Photographs—which can be found in ICP’s Library—documented life in the Depression-era Deep South.
According to a piece on Kodak’s blog: "The first reference Ryan gave me was a book of portraits taken by the photographer Eudora Welty (1909–2001), who was also a writer in the 1930s. I love photographic references and have a lot of photography books on my shelves at home, but Eudora's work was new to me."
"She took B&W photographs of people in depression-era Mississippi, in their homes, at work and in their daily routines. They are beautiful, soulful pictures that capture a place and a moment in time. I knew exactly what Ryan was after when I saw those photographs. They became a powerful guide in helping me understand the emotional connection Ryan wanted the audience to feel."
Durald Arkapaw’s biggest inspiration came from these visuals. She said she thrives off looking at photography references because they are real people in real spaces.
Cover image credit: Etienne Laurent / The Academy ©A.M.P.A.S.