Fil-Am Oscar winner Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Eddie Murphy honored by AFI

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Veteran actor and comedian Eddie Murphy and Filipino American Oscar winner Autumn Durald Arkapaw were honored by the American Film Institute (AFI) in a star-studded gala Saturday, April 18, in Hollywood.

Murphy received the 51st AFI Life Achievement Award, one of America’s highest honors for a film career. Both Eddie and Autumn got standing ovations when they received their awards.

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Eddie Murphy receives the 51st AFI Life Achievement Award. Photo by AFI

‘Enduring impact’

“Eddie Murphy is an American icon,” said Kathleen Kennedy, chair of the AFI Board of Trustees, in an AFI statement. “A trailblazing force in the art forms of film, television, and stand-up comedy, his versatility knows no bounds. Across five decades, his enduring impact on our culture has inspired artists and audiences alike, and AFI is proud to honor him with the 51^st AFI Life Achievement Award.”

Eddie Murphy arrives at the AFI Life Achievement Award gala honoring him in Hollywood. Photo from AFI

Arkapaw, who made history last March when she became the first woman, first Filipino, first Black, and first Asian woman to win the Oscars’ Best Cinematography Award for Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” earned another distinction at the Dolby Theatre, the same Hollywood venue where she cinched her historic win.

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Autumn Durald Arkapaw | Photo from AFI

Fil-Am trailblazer

The Fil-Am trailblazer received the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal from the AFI, the renowned nonprofit organization established “to champion the moving image as an art form” and operates the AFI Conservatory film school and the AFI Fest (film festival).

Autumn Durald Arkapaw gets a standing ovation as she accepts her award. Photo from AFI

According to the AFI, the Schaffner Alumni Medal “recognizes the extraordinary creative talents of AFI Conservatory alumni who embody the qualities of filmmaker Franklin J. Schaffner: talent, taste, dedication, and commitment to quality storytelling in film and television.”

The ceremonies began with Arkapaw, who earned her MFA in Cinematography at the AFI Conservatory in 2009, receiving the medal. The honor is named after Schaffner, the filmmaker who won the Academy’s Best Director Award for “Patton” and is also noted for “The Planet of the Apes,” “Papillon,” and “The Boys from Brazil.”

Arkapaw joins a list of illustrious previous alumni recipients, including her fellow Fil-Am and cinematographer, Matthew “Matty” Libatique, who was honored in 2024. Other previous awardees include Darren Aronofsky, Patty Jenkins, Janusz Kamiński, David Lynch, Terrence Malick, and Rachel Morrison.

Filipino roots

The cinematographer, whose Filipino roots are from Masantol, Pampanga, walked the red carpet with her husband and fellow cinematographer, Adam Arkapaw, their son Aedan Isaiah Arkapaw, her Filipina mother Peggy Bautista, and her stepfather.

Autumn Durald Arkapaw and family: husband Adam, son Aedan, mother Peggy Bautista and stepfather | Photo from AFI

Arkapaw, who also has American Creole heritage, wore a black and white ensemble emblazoned on the back with “Browne 1965,” presumably in honor of her favorite designer, Thom Browne, who was born in 1965.

Finding her voice through AFI

In her acceptance speech, Arkapaw talked about finding her voice through the AFI, working again on a project with Ryan Coogler that she hopes will shake people up, and thanked Matthew, Adam, and Aedan for inspiring her.

Arkapaw said, “I’m so honored to be here this evening to receive the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal. 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’

“AFI is where I learned how to believe in my gut, to appreciate those people around me who wanted to tell stories 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 pushed me to find my eye.

“There’s such a beautiful power that comes with finding your community…We are nothing without those who care for us, believe in us, and allow us to break bread with them. Finding the right person to go to war with and make people feel what’s in your soul is everything.

‘I give it everything that I have’

“I learned how to find that power in my voice from 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,’ the film that my husband made with his bestie, Justin Kurzel. I sat in the movie theater, and my eyes and my 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 and bless that cinematographer as my husband, and inspire 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 (Murphy) has always shown us. We are better artists when we put it all out there. As Ryan always tells me, just be yourself. I love you, and I thank you for helping make me. Thank you for helping make me the cinematographer I am today.”

Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s impact

Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO, said in a statement, “Autumn Durald Arkapaw is one of our generation’s defining voices in the art of visual storytelling. She’s immersed us in the world of ‘Sinners’ and ‘Black Panther,’ and now AFI is honored to shine the light upon her – celebrating her impact on the art form and the pride she brings us as a graduate of the AFI Conservatory.”

In our previous interview, Arkapaw recalled how, as a student enrolled in the AFI’s Master of Fine Arts in Cinematography program, seeing Matthew Libatique, the first Filipino to earn the Academy cinematography citation for “Black Swan,” and later got two more nods for “A Star Is Born” and “Maestro,” inspired her.

“It was really amazing to see Matty Libatique,” said about the pioneering Fil-Am DP Matty’s lecture at the AFI, where he also went. “Requiem for a Dream,” one of Matthew’s collaborations with Darren Aronofsky, also inspired her. “Matty’s work was always some of my favorite films.

“He came to our school one day at AFI. He also went there. I remember seeing him and just feeling a sense of being just proud. Proud to see someone who looked like me, part of my culture, up there doing great work.

“It was just one person, right? But his work and him standing there, and he was so cool. I felt like I could do this. It’s important to see your culture reflected in the business to give you the bravery to be able to do work and to put yourself into it.”

Tribute to Eddie Murphy

In the ceremonies to be streamed on Netflix on May 31, Mike Myers (in makeup for “Shrek” which co-starred Eddie) and Stevie Wonder (he did an impression of Eddie), Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, Eva Longoria, and Arsenio Hall, were among the talents who paid tribute to Murphy onstage.

Ted Sarandos, Eddie Murphy and Bob Gazzale | Photo from AFI

Jennifer Hudson performed a medley from Bill Condon’s “Dreamgirls,” for which she and Eddie won Golden Globe Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor awards, respectively, in 2007.

Filmmaker Spike Lee, who presented the award to Murphy, 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.”

Spike Lee (left) and Martin Lawrence on the red carpet | Photo from AFI

Murphy said in his acceptance speech, “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.”

Past AFI Lifetime Achievement Award recipients include Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Denzel Washington, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Harrison Ford, Al Pacino, Barbra Streisand, and Robert De Niro.

Stars in the gala audience include Colman Domingo, Martin Lawrence, Dave Chappelle, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Tracy Morgan, Robert Townsend, and Kenan Thompson.

The gala raised over $2.5 million. All proceeds from the event support the AFI as a nonprofit organization.

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