East Bay Filmmaker Makes Oscar History

OAKLAND, CA — Ryan Coogler made Oscar history on Thursday when his movie "Sinners" was nominated more than a dozen times.

"Sinners," which starred Michael B. Jordan and Hailee Steinfeld, earned nominations across 16 categories, including directing, actor in a leading role, cinemotography and casting.

Coogler’s Jim Crow-era film — the rare horror movie to win the academy’s favor — conjures a mythical allegory of Black life.

For Coogler, the 39-year-old Oakland filmmaker known for “Fruitvale Station” and “Black Panther,” it was a crowning moment.

One of Hollywood's most esteemed filmmakers, Coogler has called “Sinners” — a film that he will own outright 25 years after its release — his most personal movie.

"I wrote this script for my uncle who passed away 11 years ago," Coogler said in an interview Thursday morning. "I got to imagine that he’s listening to some blues music right now to celebrate."

The previous Academy Award record was a three-way tie between "La La Land," "Titanic" and "All About Eve," which were all nominated 14 times, according to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s father-daughter revolutionary saga “One Battle After Another,” the favorite coming into nominations, trailed in second with 13 of its own. Four of its actors — Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn — were nominated, though newcomer Chase Infiniti was left out in best actress.

AP News contributed to this report.