Film ‘Sinners’ makes history with record 16 Oscar nominations

Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, created history on Thursday by becoming the most-nominated film in Oscar history, securing 16 Academy Award nominations. The genre-bending drama surpassed the previous record of 14 nominations jointly held by All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997), and La La Land (2016).

Released in April, Sinners also emerged as a major box-office success, becoming the highest-grossing original film domestically in 15 years, a feat last achieved by Inception. The film received widespread critical acclaim and entered awards season as a strong contender against fellow frontrunner One Battle After Another.

The nominations mark a career milestone for Coogler, earning him his first-ever Oscar nods for directing and original screenplay, and making him the seventh Black filmmaker nominated for Best Director, following Spike Lee’s nomination for BlacKkKlansman.

Sinners received nominations in the following categories:

Best Picture

Best Director – Ryan Coogler

Best Original Screenplay – Ryan Coogler

Best Actor – Michael B. Jordan

Best Supporting Actor – Delroy Lindo

Best Supporting Actress – Wunmi Mosaku

Best Cinematography

Best Film Editing

Best Production Design

Best Costume Design

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Best Original Score

Best Sound

Best Visual Effects

Best Casting

Best Original Song

With strong performances both above and below the line, Sinners enters Oscar night as one of the most formidable contenders in Academy Awards history.