From the indie brilliance of Fruitvale Station to the global, culture-shifting phenomenon of Black Panther, Oscar winner Ryan Coogler’s focus has always remained intensely fixed on the art of storytelling. Now, he is taking that commitment a step further by joining Cinema United’s newly formed Filmmaker Leadership Council, a coalition stepping up to champion the future of movies, specifically those shown in theaters.
Coogler isn’t doing this alone. The council is packed with industry heavy hitters uniting to provide “meaningful support” for the theatrical experience worldwide.
Blockbuster veteran Jerry Bruckheimer is leading the charge as the council’s chair, with Oscar-winning producer Emma Thomas serving as vice chair. Rounding out this powerhouse team alongside Coogler are Oscar winner Brad Bird and Oscar nominees Jason Reitman and Celine Song. Cinema United senior consultant Greg Foster, who was instrumental in putting this brain trust together, will serve as the executive director.
Together, this group will tackle the most pressing issues facing movie theaters today. They will work directly with Cinema United to provide vital feedback and recommendations on industry hurdles like theatrical release windows, consolidation, marketing, promotion, and new technology.
In 2016, following the massive critical and commercial success of Creed, Coogler was offered a highly coveted membership invitation to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the prestigious voting body responsible for the Oscars. For most directors, an Academy invite is the ultimate career milestone. For Coogler, it was a polite but firm pass.
He famously declined the invitation, stating clearly that he dislikes the competitive nature of awards. For Coogler, filmmaking is a collaborative, expressive art form. He expressed that he does not enjoy judging other filmmakers’ work or pitting deeply personal projects against one another just to hand out a trophy.
That 2016 decision perfectly contextualizes his current choice to join the Cinema United council. Coogler is not interested in being a gatekeeper or a critic; he is interested in being a builder.
By focusing his energy on the survival of the theatrical experience rather than litigating the best films of the past year, Coogler is showing up to do the hard work of preserving the medium. He understands the communal power of watching a movie in a packed theater, free from the politics of award campaigning.
