Ryan Coogler is no stranger to critical acclaim or cultural impact. From Fruitvale Station to Creed to Black Panther, he’s delivered genre-defining projects for over a decade. But this week marks a first in the filmmaker’s celebrated career: Coogler has earned his first-ever Golden Globe nomination for Best Director.
And he did it with Sinners, the postwar political thriller that has generated major conversation since its release, commercially, culturally, and now, awards-wise.
Sinners cracked the Golden Globe lineup, earning nominations for Best Picture (Drama), Best Director (Coogler), Best Actor (Drama) for Michael B. Jordan, Best Screenplay, Best Score (Ludwig Göransson), Best Original Song (I Lied to You), and Cinematic & Box Office Achievement.
This marks Jordan’s first Golden Globe nomination as well, and it gives the film an awards momentum that many feel will translate to Oscar season.
Coogler spoke with The Hollywood Reporter after the nominations were announced.
“I don’t know if I can put the feeling into words. I’m feeling a sense of gratitude that people seem to have taken to the film as much as we did,” he said.
He described the release of Sinners as both emotional and personal, a film born from processing the loss of his uncle, but made with a filmmaking family he trusted deeply.
“As my love for the movie expanded, my nervousness also did,” he continued. “Is our audience going to love this movie as much as we do? Is our audience going to see how different this is from things I’ve made before?”
The response from audiences and critics, showing up, purchasing multiple tickets, debating themes, Coogler calls “affirming.”
“You don’t get into this business unless you love cinema,” he said. “This has made me love it even more.”
Coogler emphasized the emotional evolution that Sinners sparked within him.
“Every film changes you,” he explained. “The films themselves change you on an atomic level.” This one, he says, shifted his perspective not only creatively, but personally.
He noted the studio’s backing: “Warner Bros. bet so much on us,” he said, calling the experience “really, really special.”
The timing is uncanny: news of Warner Bros. being sold to Netflix has shaken Hollywood, yet Sinners has framed itself as a bright spot, a showcase of what bold storytelling still looks like.
With seven nominations, Sinners positions itself as a film that is both artistically and commercially undeniable. The Golden Globes serve as a strong barometer for Oscar nominations, and the reaction across the industry has been one of excitement rather than surprise.
Coogler isn’t chasing attention; he’s chasing meaning. And meaning is what’s finding him. He summed it up best:
“I made the movie both for him [his uncle] and for myself. Getting to the other side of that process… it’s something I’ll never forget.”
Sinners is now officially one of the season’s biggest contenders, and Ryan Coogler is finally being recognized as the auteur he has long proven himself to be.
