Adam Arkapaw is an Australian cinematographer. He received recognition for his work on the first series of Top of the Lake (2013) and True Detective (2014), for which he received two Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Early life and education Arkapaw was born in Bowral, a New South Wales town south of Sydney, and attended Bowral High School. He studied at the University of Melbourne's Victorian College of the Arts, graduating in 2006 with a Bachelor of Film and Television.
Career In addition to numerous short films, Arkapaw photographed three Australian features over the next several years: Animal Kingdom (2010), Snowtown (2011), and Lore (2012). He received a nomination for the AACTA Award for Best Cinematography in 2010 for his work on Animal Kingdom and in 2011 he was named one of Variety magazine's "10 Cinematographers to Watch".
Arkapaw next worked on Jane Campion's television miniseries Top of the Lake, which was filmed in New Zealand and broadcast in 2013. That year he won a Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie. In 2014 he won his second Emmy Award, for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series, in recognition of his work on the HBO television series True Detective. True Detective was filmed in Louisiana and Arkapaw's cinematography received wide praise, especially for a six-minute single-take long take that was planned over months and took one and a half days to film.
Arkapaw was the cinematographer of the 2015 film Macbeth, directed by Justin Kurzel, with whom Arkapaw previously worked on Snowtown.Milber, J. (29 November 2022). Adam Arkapaw, Australian Cinematographer, National Film and Sound Archives. Retrieved 21 May 2026. He also photographed McFarland, USA, an American sports film released in 2015, and the drama film The Light Between Oceans. He collaborated with Kurzel for a third time on the action-adventure film Assassin's Creed, which was released in the United States in December 2016.
Personal life Arkapaw is married to American cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw. They have one child.
Arkapaw played cricket for the Royal Park Reds in the summer 2005–06 season. He was deemed Best on Ground in their grand final match against Pascoe Vale United after scoring 65 (not out) and 52 in each innings and taking a total of seven wickets.
Filmography Film Year Title Director Notes 2009 Blind Company Alkinos Tsilimidos 2010 Animal Kingdom David Michôd 2011 Snowtown Justin Kurzel 2012 Lore Cate Shortland2015 McFarland, USA Niki Caro Macbeth Justin Kurzel2016 The Light Between Oceans Derek Cianfrance Assassin's Creed Justin Kurzel2019 Light of My Life Casey Affleck The King David Michôd 2024 The Order Justin Kurzel 2025 Magazine Dreams Elijah Bynum2026CompanyCasey Affleck 2027 Matt Ross Post-production
Television Year Title Director Notes 2013 Top of the Lake Jane CampionGarth Davis 7 episodes 2014 True Detective Cary Joji Fukunaga Season 1 2015 Flesh and Bone David Michôd Episode "Bulling Through" 2024 Masters of the Air Cary Joji Fukunaga 4 episodes
Awards and nominations Award Year Category Title ResultAACTA Awards 2012Best Cinematography Snowtown 2013 Lore 2014 Best Cinematography in Television Top of the Lake 2015Byron Kennedy Award 2019 Best Cinematography The King ASC Awards 2015 Spotlight Award Macbeth Australian Film Institute Awards 2006 Outstanding Achievement in Short Film Screen Craft End of Town 2010 Best Cinematography Animal Kingdom British Independent Film Awards2015 Best Technical AchievementMacbeth Manaki Film Festival Silver Camera 300 Creative Arts Emmy Awards 2013 Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series Top of the Lake 2014 Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series True Detective Stockholm International Film Festival 2012 Best Cinematography Lore
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