By Samantha Ofole-Prince
With films like “Black Panther,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Creed” and his inaugural feature film “Fruitvale Station,” to his credit, Writer/Director Ryan Coogler has shown versatility as a filmmaker so it’s no surprise his latest film “Sinners” received 16 Oscar nominations.
The most nominations for a single project in Oscar history, “Sinners” earned the acclaimed director his first Oscar nomination for directing.
An original story that delves into the supernatural, it’s a bold departure from his previous work and the film was recognized in several other categories including acting, film editing, makeup and hairstyling, score, casting, cinematography and costume design. Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku all received acting nominations.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 09: Ryan Coogler attends The Critics Choice Association’s 8th annual celebration of Black Cinema & Television at Fairmont Century Plaza on December 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Combining ambition, emotion and originality, Coogler’s most personal piece of filmmaking, which follows identical twin brothers who return to their Mississippi hometown to open a juke joint, infuses a piece of his own history as well as Black history.
I’ve been blessed,” says Coogler, “where each time I’ve made a film, it’s become more and more personal. And with Sinners, I was really digging into two relationships. One with my maternal grandfather. The other with my Uncle James who actually passed away when I was in post-production on Creed. And with this film, I got a chance to dig into my own ancestral history.”
Coogler’s “Black Panther” is a landmark moment in his career and was the most successful domestic release of 2018, grossing $1.3 billion in theaters worldwide. It is the first Marvel film to have ever been nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and although the sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” achieved remarkable success grossing over $840 million and received five Oscar nominations, Coogler was always shunned in the directing category, despite these box office successes.
Coogler will compete against directors Chloé Zhao (“Hamnet”), Josh Safdie (“Marty Supreme”), Paul Thomas Anderson (“One Battle after Another”) for the 13½ inch golden statuette.
The Oscar nominations were announced by Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman in a live presentation from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles. Winners will be announced on Sunday, March 15 at the Academy Awards ceremony which will be hosted by Conan O’Brien.
Samantha Ofole-Prince is a U.S. based journalist and movie critic who covers industry-specific news that includes television and film.
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