Sinners won 4 Oscars on Sunday night, including Michael B. Jordan winning Best Actor in a Leading Role and Ryan Coogler for Best Original Screenplay. Both won their first Oscars with the trophies.
Ryan Coogler is the first Black person to win Best Original Screenplay, and the second following Jordan Peele’s win for Get Out in 2018. Jordan is the sixth Black man to win Best Actor in a Leading Role, following Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker and Will Smith.
Leading into the night, Sinners had 16 nominations, the most in history. Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw won last night for Sinners, becoming not only the first woman of color (Arkapaw is Black and Filipina), but the first Filipino or Black person to win the award.
Ludwig Göransson got his third Oscar for Best Score with Sinners. It is his second win for a Ryan Coogler win, following Black Panther.
In his speech, Coogler gave a shoutout to his co-producers Sev Ohanian and Zinzi Coogler, and shouted out his family and gave a rare mention to his and Zinzi’s three children.
He said in part, “Sev Ohanian and Zinzi Coogler, you guys are the best producers in the world, and Zinzi, you are the best wife and mom in the world. Every day I get to spend with you is better than the one that came before it…and to my parents who are here, thank you for all the memories, thank you for making me believe in myself. To my babies that are at home watching, I apologize for all the time away. Dad loves you. Memories are all we have, and I’ll give you some great ones and y’all are blessed to live a long life and [when] Dad becomes just a memory I want you to remember this one thing: I love y’all more than anything. Thank you.”
In Jordan’s speech, he shouted out those who came before him. Overcome with emotion amid a standing ovation, he thanked Coogler as a “collaborator and a friend” and for “an opportunity and space for me to be seen. I love you too, bro.”
He continued in part, “I stand here because of the people that came before me. Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith. To be amongst those giants, amongst those greats, amongst my ancestors, amongst my guys. Thank you, everybody in this room, and everybody at home for supporting me over my career. I feel it. I know you guys want me to do well, and I want to do that because you guys bet on me. So thank you for keeping betting on me. And I’m gonna keep stepping up. And I’m gonna keep being the best version of myself I can be. So I just wanna say thank you for everybody in this room that has something to do with my success.”
Arkapaw used her speech to shout out and empower the women in the room.
“I really want all the women in the room to stand up,” she said as she accepted the award, “because I [wouldn’t be] here without you guys.”
She continued, “I really, really truly mean that. I have felt so much love from all the women on this whole campaign and have gotten to meet so many people, and I just feel like moments like this happen because of you guys, and I want to thank you for that.”