For nearly a century, the Academy has handed out the best director award without ever placing it in the hands of a Black filmmaker. This year that streak, long reduced to a footnote, may move from the margins of history to the center — and Ryan Coogler is the reason why.
“Sinners” arrived not only as the “new film from the guy who brought you ‘Black Panther,’” but also as a cultural force, earning a record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations. Coogler’s directing nod makes the 39-year-old Oakland native the seventh Black filmmaker nominated in the category, after John Singleton (“Boyz n’ the Hood”), Lee Daniels (“Precious”), Steve McQueen (“12 Years a Slave”), Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight”), Jordan Peele (“Get Out”) and Spike Lee (“BlacKkKlansman”). Of course, none of them won.
Coogler is aware of all that. But he’s made a deliberate choice to keep it at arm’s length.
“The biggest danger is, something like that can dampen your hope, make you disillusioned, or feel like what you do isn’t worth it,” Coogler tells Variety. “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.”
It’s a survival strategy rooted in lineage and in the values shaped by his influences. Coogler grew up watching Singleton’s and Lee’s movies. “I knew what John and Spike looked like before I knew what Spielberg looked like,” he says. When Coogler arrived at USC, the late Singleton befriended him and guided his path: “The whole reason I went there was because of him. He would mentor me and watch my short films.”
That special relationship informs how Coogler moves through the industry today. With Proximity Media — which he runs with his wife, Zinzi Evans, and Sev Ohanian — he’s built a company that keeps him engaged with the community.
However, only 2% of all Oscar nominees and 2% of all winners from 1929 to 2025 were Black. That adds up to 274 nominations and 63 winners in 97 years, according to a USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative study.
Now Coogler is standing at a potentially historic moment.
Variety spoke with a Black AMPAS member to get a temperature check on what they’re watching and loving. A huge fan of “Sinners,” the member put it plainly: “The Academy is about to turn 100. I, like many of my cohorts, have all dreamed about being the first to stand on that stage. If we get to the 100th year and no Black person has stood there, what does that say? You’re telling me nobody was worthy during that time? Nobody? This is the opportunity to do it for a worthy artist who happens to be Black but is also unequivocally Black.”
Naturally, we ask Coogler what a win could mean. After a thoughtful pause, he says, “My award is the opportunity to have this job. The opportunity to go write a script, get a crew together, hire union jobs, contribute to people’s health care, insurance and their families. The fact that I have this job and continue to have it is the greatest gift.”
It’s an attitude informed in part by “survivor’s remorse,” as he puts it, along with the peculiar weight of being a symbol for so many aspiring artists. He credits therapy, a grounded marriage — he and Zinzi have known each other since childhood — and the humbling experience of going home to family and friends who don’t care about what’s happening in Hollywood. To them, he’s just “Uncle Ryan” or “Coogz.”
After major industry losses at DGA and BAFTA to Warner Bros. cohort Paul Thomas Anderson for “One Battle After Another,” the Oscar deck appears stacked against Coogler. Even so, and while the losses may sting, “Sinners” is proof of possibility.
Says Coogler, “Every day I wake up, I get to contribute. That’s what I’m focused on.”
Read excerpts from his interview below, which has been edited and condensed for clarity.
(L to r) DELROY LINDO, MICHAEL B. JORDAN and director RYAN COOGLER
Eli Ade
You’ve always kept the focus on the work. Has this awards season changed how comfortable you are being the “face” of “Sinners?”
It’s definitely a new experience for me compared with the films I’ve made before. My first feature was based on the tragic murder of a young man by transit law enforcement — the real person and his family were at the forefront (“Fruitvale Station”). The next three films were based on characters that preexisted my birth — with “Creed,” it was tied to the “Rocky” franchise. With the “Black Panther” films, those are adaptations, too. With this one, there isn’t something to hide behind. We were aware of that going into it, but I was excited to do it. Each movie I’ve made had international distribution and a chance to be in the zeitgeist, so you get used to the rhythm: you make the thing, you get the word out, and then at a certain point it belongs to the audience. They decide how long they want to talk about it, and how many conversations you get to have. We were fortunate this one has had a long tail.
The film feels personal, but also mythic. What part of yourself did you confront while making it?
I’ve always tried to use the craft to make as big an impact as I could each time. With this one, I’d say every element had a personal origin — sometimes conscious, sometimes subconscious, and I realized it later. The biggest thing was understanding the ritual of making this movie as a ritual of remembrance — and recognizing how much it always has been. Putting on a blues record, I’m remembering my uncle, thinking back to stories, thinking about older members of my family. Even deciding to listen to that music is an active method of remembrance. With this, I got my friends together, my family — people I’ve been making movies with for well over 20 years — and we went down to New Orleans and participated in active remembrance and affirmation. We love making movies, and it was rewarding every day, and rewarding putting it out.
“Sinners” earned a record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations and tied the record for the most individual Black artists recognized from a single movie. How do you feel about such achievements?
What I’m always trying to do is focus. Filmmaking is a team sport, so I go out and try to hire the best people I can find for each position. Once I have them, I try to be the best leader I can be — which usually means getting out of the way as much as possible. Every person I’ve worked with, regardless of their gender or how they identify, has always been the best person for the job I could find. If Zinzi was not a good producer, I would not be working with her. I’ve got too much respect for the job at hand. Each one of those women you’re mentioning — Ruth [E. Carter], Hannah [Beachler], Autumn [Durald Arkapaw] — they are remarkable. They are among the best to ever do what they do. I keep hiring them because they’re that great.
You’re only the seventh Black filmmaker ever nominated for best director. How do you engage with that statistic?
Sometimes statistics can make me intrigued. Sometimes they can bum me out. The biggest danger is that when you’re inundated in them, they can maybe dampen your hope, make you disillusioned, or make you feel like what you do isn’t worth it. I try to protect my love for what I do, as best I can. If I know a statistic is going to make me feel sad, I just don’t think about it. Because I want to wake up with a strong desire to make movies and continue to engage in this industry.
You’ve talked about Spike Lee and John Singleton as influences. How do you think about mentorship and community-building now?
You mentioned Spike and John — their stories influenced each other. I got to know both of them, and their movies were among the first I ever saw in a theater as a kid. I watched how my parents reacted to their work — and I knew what Spike looked like and what John looked like, maybe before I knew what Spielberg looked like. When I talked to Spike and John, they were aware of their positions, but they were working artists and community members. Spike still teaches at NYU — so a lot of filmmakers have been taught by him. When I came to USC, I met John. A big reason I went there was because of him. He mentored me, watched my short films, talked to me about classes. They stayed engaged with their calling and their communities, and I try to follow in their footsteps. I can do a better job, but with our company, Proximity Media — with Zinzi and Sev — one of our executives started an internship program, and we pay young folks coming through. That’s a beautiful way to stay engaged. We’ve been able to work with incredible filmmakers — we produced Shaka [King’s] second feature, “Judas and the Black Messiah.” Spike and John were great at that kind of mentorship and community-building. I’m trying to stay engaged as an artist and as a member of the communities I’m involved with.
Over 3,100 Oscar statuettes have been given out in history, and only 20 have gone to Black women. Your wife Zinzi, could be one of those. If you win best director, it would be history. No Black person has ever stood on that stage to accept that specific category in 98 years. Have you let yourself think about that?
Man, that’s a good question. I can’t say I’ve given it a ton of thought. Hearing those numbers saddens me, but I cheer myself up thinking about how many brilliant Black women filmmakers I’ve worked with. I know the truth — that statistic is a lie about the reality. I know there have been Black directors who changed the arc of global cinema — they changed my life and got me into this business that gives me purpose. I’d rather celebrate what they did, against all odds, than lament what award they didn’t get. With all respect to the Academy — and I love so many people involved — my award is the opportunity to have this job: to write a script, get a crew together, hire union jobs, contribute to people’s health care and their families. The fact that I have this job, and can continue to have it, is the greatest gift.
When people bring up awards stats and representation, how do you process that?
What I’m always trying to do is focus. I pray for better focus every day. What I love about this job is it allows me to be organized and keep things in perspective, be clear in my motivation. Each time I make something, I’m trying to make the best thing I can. Because filmmaking is a team sport, I try to hire the best people I can for each position — and then be the best leader I can be, which usually means getting out of the way. Making sure folks have what they need: budget, a clear script, clear conversations, an open door when they need clarity. Everybody I’ve worked with has been the best person for the job I could find in the moment. And I love Zinzi to death — but if she wasn’t a good producer, I wouldn’t be working with her. I have too much respect for the job. Once we’re done, it’s for the audience, critics and voters to decide whether the work is exemplary. The women you mentioned are remarkable — among the best to ever do it — and I keep hiring them because they’re great. I don’t reflect on records much, because it’s not my job.
On this very podcast, Denzel Washington apologized to you for leaking the “Black Panther 3” news. Any update you can share to return the favor?
I wish I could help, bro. All I can tell you is I’m excited about it.
My older sister is the biggest fan of “The X-Files” and she’s excited for your interpretation. Could tell me something I can tell her about the series?
Tell your big sister we’re working hard every day to blow her mind. The last thing we want to do is let her down. We’re working to make something special — that’s all I got.
Imposter syndrome is real. How do you deal with it?
Therapy has been helpful — through WGA health insurance. Doing it once a week, or once every couple weeks, makes a difference, because that stuff never leaves you. Another thing that helps — and it’s kind of cheating, because you can’t control this — I’m married to somebody I’ve known since I was a kid. Zinzi and I are from the same place, know the same people. When crazy things happen, you can look over and say, ‘Is this really happening?’ And I’ve never left home. I’m from the East Bay, so it’s a quick flight from L.A. I get to go home — and people care a little, but they really don’t care about what’s happening in film and TV. It humbles you quick. Being able to do things that make you feel like yourself is the biggest thing. When this is at its best, it’s a job — a job you’re passionate about, a calling — but still a job. And you’ve got to be a dad, a husband, a friend, a cousin, an uncle, a little brother. If you keep it in perspective, I think that’s how you win.
You and Zinzi made history as the first Black married couple to be nominated together. What’s it like to work with someone you love?
It’s nice. She’s sharp with story and navigating artists — we’re a particular type of people. Her parents are artists, too. She’s been married to me forever, so she has a hack for keeping creative people together. And she’s a winner — she just is. She was an incredible athlete. More people knew her than me coming up because she kicked ass on the track. She’d beat you at a game she’s never played. Mini golf — she’s hitting trick shots. Cards — she gets the best hand. She just wins. I want her on my team. It’s the first movie she produced, and the results reflect that.
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta and Michael Schneider, who also produces, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode, “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives, discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines, and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts.
