Ryan Coogler's latest horror-thriller Sinners has been scooping up various awards and rave reviews since its release last year, which continues to the Oscars race. It is also doubly special for the noted director as the Michael B Jordan-starrer could earn Coogler, not just his first Oscar, but also the first Academy Award for a Black filmmaker.
The nominations for the 98th Academy Award were announced last month, with Sinners leading the race, with a record-breaking 16 nods. The 39-year-old filmmaker was also the seventh Black filmmaker nominated in the category after John Singleton, Lee Daniels, Steve McQueen, Barry Jenkins, Jordan Peele and Spike Lee, but neither of them have earned the coveted award. While an Oscar might be up for the filmmaker, Coogler doesn't want to keep his hopes high. Speaking to Variety, the director said that he is trying to "protect" his love for his work. "The biggest danger is, something like that can dampen your hope, make you disillusioned, or feel like what you do isn’t worth it. I try to protect my love for what I do. If I know statistics are going to make me feel sad, I don’t think about it," he noted.
Some of these filmmakers have played a big role in Coogler's life including John Singleton and Spike Lee's movies. "I knew what John and Spike looked like before I knew what Spielberg looked like. The whole reason I went there was because of him (Singleton). He would mentor me and watch my short films," he added.
Starring Michael B Jordan in the lead in dual roles, the film received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Jordan, Best Supporting Actress for Wunmi Mosaku, Best Supporting Actor for Delroy Lindo, Original Screenplay, Casting, Production Design, Cinematography, Costume design, Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound, Visual Effects, Original Score, and Original Song for 'I Lied to You'. It broke the record for the most nominations for a single film ever, beating previous record holders like Titanic, La La Land, and All About Eve.
Coogler's first original film since 2013's Fruitvale Station, Sinners tells the story of identical twins (Michael B Jordan in a dual role) who return to their hometown in Mississippi to start a juke joint. They are faced with a sinister supernatural evil and must strive to stay alive through the night along with their pals. Also starring Miles Caton, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O'Connell, Omar Benson Miller, and Delroy Lindo, among others, Sinners reportedly grossed over $360 million from theatres worldwide.
Sinners has already secured numerous awards including four prizes at the 31st Critics' Choice Awards and two wins at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, including Cinematic and Box Office Achievement. At the recent BAFTA Awards, it scripted history by earning three bronze masks from 13 nominations.
