Sinners’ Oscars Wins Are Historic. The Film Also Doesn’t Need Awards For Validation

Sinners capped off a remarkable award season with history-making wins that now pave the way for future filmmakers. Ryan Coogler took home his first Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, making him the second Black American ever to win in the category. Meanwhile, Sinners director of photography Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman in the history of the awards to win for Best Cinematography. In capturing Sinners, Arkapaw also became the first female cinematographer to shoot on Imax 65mm and Ultra Panavision.

"A lot of little girls who look like me will sleep well tonight because they’ll want to become cinematographers," Arkapaw told journalists after her win. "Being on stage, getting this award for a movie like that, will change so many girls' lives." 

Coogler and Arkapaw, who also worked together on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, both made a point to share their respective moments with the communities that made it possible for their wins. 

Rocking cornrows with a guitar and treble note braided into the design, Coogler affectionately shared his gratitude for wife and producer Zinzi Coogler, saying, “Every day I spend with you is better than the one that came before.” He also thanked the Sinners cast and crew, asking them to stand to be acknowledged. “You guys are all winners in my book,” he said.

Peele is the only other Black filmmaker to win Best Original Screenplay. Coogler, 39, won against It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi, Blue Moon by Robert Kaplow, Marty Supreme by Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein, and Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt.

In Arkapaw’s speech, she summoned the power of the women who came before her while acknowledging the women in the room who stood before her. The 46-year-old Bay Area native sang the praises of Ellen Kuras and Rachel Morrison for paving the way for her to thrive in her field.

She then prompted all of the women in attendance to stand up. “I feel like I don’t get here without you guys,” she exclaimed, returning the love she said other women have given her during the film’s award campaign. She added, “Moments like this happen because of you guys and I want to thank you for that.”

The moment was special. Arkapaw broke a 98-year-old ceiling that the Academy had been clinging onto. And as if that nearly century-long streak didn’t shed light on how male-dominated cinematography is, only three women had ever been nominated prior: Rachel Morrison for Mudbound (2018) Ari Wegner for The Power of the Dog (2021) and Mandy Walker for Elvis (2022). This was Arkapaw’s first nomination as well as her first win. Arkapaw’s victory is especially savory as she rose to the top of the category as a woman of color.

Also nominated for Best Cinematography was Dan Laustsen for Frankenstein, Darius Khondji for Marty Supreme, Michael Bauman for One Battle After Another and Adolpho Veloso for Train Dreams.

Sinners made history with its 16 nods this year by becoming the most nominated film in Oscars history (which is interesting that it reached this stat but didn't nab Best Director or Best Picture). The film took home two other big awards on Sunday: Michael B. Jordan became the sixth Black man ever to win for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Ludwig Göransson nabbed his third for Original Score.

The Oscars didn’t match the level of the NAACP Image Awards in awarding Sinners and we didn’t expect them to. But many people expressed their disappointment in Sinners not winning in some of its other nominated categories. Best Picture winner One Battle After Another was this year’s Oscars sweetheart, winning six of the 13 awards it was up for. It’s no surprise that a film concerned with exploring the essence of a revolution rather than naming the specifics of its cause became the most winning film of a show that seemed unsure of itself. The Academy called a rare tie for the live-action short film category, an absent Sean Penn won Best Supporting Actor for playing a white supremacist while costar Benicio del Toro and Sinners’ Delroy Lindo got snubbed and producers played favorites in cutting off some winners and not others who were equally long-winded, including the songwriting team for K-Pop Demon Hunters’ “Golden.” 

The show had a handful of highlights, including the number of history-making wins; the stellar recreation of Sinners’ juke joint music scene, which brought Misty Copeland out of retirement in the midst of recovering from hip replacement surgery; and the in-memoriam tribute celebrating Diane Keaton, Catherine O’Hara and more. (Honorable mention for the Bridesmaids reunion.) Though a good majority of this year’s Oscars programming felt redundant and predictable, the show shined the brightest in the moments when what it had to say was clear. 

The message Coogler and Arkapaw delivered in Sinners was direct and resonant, which made it easy to root for them in their victory lap. In an industry climate that makes it harder for Black filmmakers to produce original IP, especially at the Imax level, making Sinners was a risk that led to a reward that will benefit generations to come. Coogler and Arkapaw’s wins offer a glimmer of hope to audiences and future filmmakers alike, but make no mistake: Sinners doesn’t need Oscars to prove its cultural and artistic significance.