Oakland filmmaker Ryan Coogler shattered Oscars history as his vampire thriller “Sinners” racked up an unprecedented 16 nominations this season.
The film, released in April 2025, broke the previous record of 14 held by “All About Eve” (1950), “Titanic” (1997) and “La La Land” (2016) when nominations for the 98th Academy Awards were announced Thursday, Jan. 22. “Sinners” now stands as a formidable contender for the ceremony’s top prizes such as best picture, best director and best actor for Michael B. Jordan, marking his first Oscar nomination. It has also been recognized for its original screenplay, music and cinematography.
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“I wrote this script for my uncle who passed away 11 years ago. I got to imagine that he’s listening to some blues music right now to celebrate,” Coolger told the Associated Press shortly after the nominations were broadcast via ABC/Hulu on Thursday morning.
Reached by phone an hour after the nominations were read, Coogler — speaking alongside his wife and producer Zinzi Coogler and producer Sev Ohanian — was still trying to process the movie’s record-breaking haul…