Los Angeles, February 26 – Filmmaker Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" has emerged as a cultural force, earning a record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations.
For nearly a century, the Academy has awarded the best director prize without ever giving it to a Black filmmaker. This year, that streak, which has long been relegated to the sidelines, may move into the center, and Ryan Coogler is the reason, according to 'Variety'.
Ryan Coogler's nomination makes the 39-year-old Oakland native the seventh Black filmmaker to be nominated in the category, after John Singleton, Lee Daniels, Steve McQueen, Barry Jenkins, Jordan Peele, and Spike Lee. Of course, none of them won.
As per 'Variety', Ryan Coogler is aware of this. But he has deliberately chosen to keep it at a distance. He told 'Variety', "The biggest danger is that something like that can dampen your hope, make you disillusioned, or make you feel that what you do isn't worth it. I try to protect my passion for what I do. If I know that statistics are going to make me feel sad, I don't think about it."
This is a survival strategy rooted in his lineage and in the values shaped by his influences. Ryan Coogler grew up watching Singleton's and Lee's movies.
He said, "I knew what John and Spike looked like before I knew what Spielberg looked like." When Coogler arrived at USC, the late Singleton befriended him and guided his path, "The whole reason I went there was because of him. He would mentor me and watch my short films."
That special relationship informs how Ryan Coogler moves through the industry today. With Proximity Media, which he runs with his wife, Zinzi Evans, and Sev Ohanian, he has built a company that keeps him engaged with the community.