Sinners Makes Oscar History: What It Means

I’ve seen Ryan Coogler’s hit film Sinners twice in theaters now – and could probably watch it five more times and enjoy each viewing even more than the last. I remember watching the iconic scene where Sammie (Miles Caton) is playing his guitar and singing in the juke joint, as he is slowly surrounded by ancestors and representations of an afrofuturistic world. I remember feeling moved, and extremely proud to not only understand the importance of those cultural connections, but be a part of them. 

It didn’t take long for me to realize that the film, like Coogler’s others, would be timeless, impactful, and legendary. And, evidently, historic. The film garnered 16 nominations for the upcoming Academy Awards – the most in Oscar history. 

“No matter how discouraged or disappointed we may be while watching events unfold, we still have power, strength, and joy.”

The record-breaking amount of nominations is deeper than it appears. Coogler is known for telling dynamic, unapologetically Black stories that reach broad audiences. Sinners earning 16 nominations not only proves the film’s wide reach, impact, and artistry, but also represents what happens when Black art is acknowledged in spaces where it is often overlooked.

Halle Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2002 for Monster’s Ball, and no other Black woman has won the award since. Angela Bassett has only been awarded an honorary Academy Award. Hattie McDaniel was the first Black person to earn an Academy Award in 1940 for Gone With the Wind, and was seated at a segregated table in the corner of the venue apart from her white castmates. The 2015 #OscarsSoWhite movement sparked conversations about the lack of diversity in nominees and winners, but little change has been made. 

So, for an organization like The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize a film like Sinners 16 times means that every part of the film’s culturally relevant components, Black ancestral veneration, and majority Black cast were recognized as well. It means that actors like Delroy Lindo who are giants in the Black community are finally being given their flowers for long film careers. It means that costume designer Ruth E. Carter is now the most Oscar-nominated Black woman in history. It means that a film that recognizes real African-American history and heritage mixed with a fantastical commentary about race relations holds weight in the elitist and exclusive world of high-caliber cinema.

And, in a political climate as divisive, tense, and concerning as our current one, it serves as a reminder that a culturally rich story is still one worth telling. It’s an indicator that no matter how discouraged or disappointed we may be while watching events unfold, we still have power, strength, and joy. 

The spirit of a Black artist and their Black art is unconquerable. And, even if Sinners does not take home every award, this historic move demonstrates the fact that spirit will never waver. 

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