MANILA, Philippines – When the nominations for the 98th Academy Awards were announced on Thursday, January 22, there was a constant movie title that kept popping up: Sinners.

The 2025 horror film stunned the prestigious award-giving body with a record-breaking 16 nominations — the most ever for a single movie.

The nominations consist of major and technical categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, Best Supporting Actress for Wunmi Mosaku, and Best Supporting Actor for Delroy Lindo. Sinners also earned nods for original screenplay, casting, cinematography, costume design, film editing, makeup and hairstyling, original score, original song, production design, sound, and visual effects.

The man behind it? Ryan Coogler.

Early life and background

Coogler was born on May 23, 1986, in Oakland, California. He grew up in the Bay Area and developed a passion for storytelling and cinema at an early age. Coogler earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from California State University, Sacramento, in 2007. He then pursued his passion for film, earning a Master of Fine Arts in Film from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts in 2011.

Beginnings and rise to prominence

While studying for his MFA, Coogler directed several short films, including Locks, Fig, and The Sculptor.

Coogler’s feature film debut came in 2013 with Fruitvale Station, which was based on the life of Oscar Grant, a young man killed by police in Oakland. The film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for US dramatic film.

The success of Fruitvale Station was followed by his directing the 2015 sports drama film Creed, the first spin-off and the seventh installment in the Rocky franchise, starring Michael B. Jordan. The film was selected by the National Board of Review as one of the top 10 films of 2015.

In 2018, Coogler took on the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Black Panther, which won Best Costume Design and Best Production Design at the 2019 Academy Awards.

He followed that success with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in 2022, which was the sixth-highest-grossing film of that year.

Sinners and Oscars history

Coogler’s most recent project, Sinners (2025), is a genre-defying horror film that blends supernatural elements with deep social commentary. It is a film about twin brothers who return to their hometown, only to confront a dark presence that forces them to reckon with their shared past. Premiered in theaters in April 2025, Sinners is topbilled by Jordan, and also stars Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, and Delroy Lindo.

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On January 22, 2026, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominations for the 98th Oscars. Sinners led the pack with 16 nominations — surpassing the previous record of 14 held by All About Eve, Titanic, and La La Land.

Other awards and recognition

Beyond its historic Oscar nominations, Sinners has emerged as a major contender in all categories across the awards season. The film led nominations at various critics’ awards and won multiple honors, including top prizes at the Boston Society of Film Critics and San Diego Film Critics Society Awards.

Coogler himself has received numerous awards throughout his career — including Best Director for Sinners at the 2026 Astra Film Awards and Top 10 Films and Best Original Screenplay for the same film by the National Board of Review. – Alfon Cabanilla/Rappler.com

Alfon Cabanilla is a Rappler intern studying AB Communication at Ateneo de Manila University.