'Sinners' Bags 16 Nominations In Oscars: Here's Why Its Nominations Marks A Major Shift In Hollywood

The nominations for the 98th Academy Awards have just been released, and it looks like Ryan Coogler’s Sinners will be dominating most of the categories. Sinners was followed by One Battle After Another, by Paul Thomas Anderson.

Both Sinners and One Battle After Another landed Best Picture nominations and took the lead in categories like costume, cinematography, acting, animation feature and more. While Sinners had 16 nominations, let's see why some of its nominations take on importance.

Ruth E. Carter's fifth Oscar nomination comes with Ryan Coogler's Sinners

Sinners has been nominated for the categories of Best Picture, Director, Lead Actor, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Sound, Makeup, Hairstyle, Visual Effects and the New Casting Award. Despite these major nominations, the nomination for Best Costume Design particularly stands out because it marks Ruth E.Carter’s fifth nomination, making her the only woman of colour to win the most nominations in Oscar History.

Ruth has previously bagged two Academy Awards in 2018 and 2023, respectively, for Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. These made Ruth the first-ever woman of colour to win two Oscars. She said:

“This is a major step in the development of our voices in Hollywood.”

Over her time in Hollywood, Ruth has surpassed actor Viola Davis and is now tied with longtime collaborator Spike Lee and Morgan Freeman for the third most nominations among Black creatives. Ruth has worked on some of the most influential films in the industry, like Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, Spielberg’s Amistad, The Butler, Selma and more. International film and fashion icons, Oprah Winfrey, Washington, and Jerry Seinfeld have worn her designs. Carter said:

“Our history is being erased as we speak. So to have this responsibility of telling our stories — and being as authentic as I can — and being awarded for it, is a celebration.”

Ruth's work in Sinners and Coogler's unwavering support for her

Talking about her work in Sinners, Ruth was mindful about creating costumes in a way that would portray the truth of the black working class in a visual form and did not focus on the glamour or couture side of the costumes. According to Ruth, they left the costumes as relatable and realistic as they could to show the plight of the sharecroppers and migrants of the early 20th century by not perfecting the length or circumference of the hem or leaving the pants as long as they were. 

Ruth credits Cooger for her constant Academy Award wins because, according to her, he is the voice of Black cinema. Coogler has given her a chance to collaborate with him for the second time, and once again, she is in the lead for another Oscar. Coogler is the only second Black Filmmaker nominated in the same year for producing, directing, and original screenplay, followed by Jordan Peele’s Get Out. Coogler is also the seventh Black director to receive a Best Director nomination for Sinners, and his colleague Zinzi Coogler became the first Black Woman and Filipina producer nominated for Best Picture. The two are also the first Black married couple to be nominated together in this category.  

In the history of the category of Best Cinematography, no woman has ever won an Oscar, let alone a black woman. There have only ever been 3 nominations for woman cinematographer, namely, Rachel Morrison in 2018 for Mudbound, Ari Wegner in 2021 for The Power of the Dog, and Mandy Walker in 2022 for Elvis, but none have ever won.

Sinners DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw also Credits Coogler for giving black creatives a chance to get nominated for an Oscar

Sinners Director of Photography, Autumn Durald Arkapaw, has made history by being nominated as the first black woman for this category alongside Adolpho Veloso for Train Dreams, Michael Bauman for One Battle After Another, Dan Laustsen for Frankenstein and Khondji for Marty Supreme. Arkapaw has been nominated for shooting Sinners on Imax 65mm and Ultra Panavision. She claimed that she doesn’t know if the moment has fully sunk in yet. She said:

“You’re rooting on the sidelines for your family that you made the film with that meant so much to you, and you can only hope that people are recognised, but it’s not your main goal.”

Arkapaw praised Coogler for giving women of colour the opportunity and platform to place themselves in the race to achieve the best of the best.

The final voting will take place from Feb 26 to March 5, and the event will be held on March 15 at Dolby Theaters In Los Angeles. The entire ceremony will be aired on ABC and will be hosted by Conan O’ Brien. 

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