“I didn’t expect that,” Coogler admitted after stepping up the podium to accept his award.

Sinners and director Ryan Coogler make BAFTA Awards history

"I didn't expect that," Coogler admitted after stepping up the podium to accept his award.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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February 22, 2026 5:20 p.m. ET

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Smoke (Michael B. Jordan) and Sammie (Miles Caton) in 'Sinners'. Credit:

Ryan Coogler and his genre-bending vampire thriller just made history at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards.

On Sunday, the British Awards ceremony saw Coogler's widely-acclaimed blockbuster *Sinners* become the most-decorated movie from a Black director in the show's history. The film won three bronze masks, beating out previous record-holder *12 Years a Slave*, the Steve McQueen-directed title that picked up two awards in 2014.

*Sinners*' wins include Best Supporting Actress for Wunmi Mosaku, Best Original Score for Ludwig Göransson, and Best Original Screenplay for Coogler, making him the first Black winner in the category. The result comes after the historical horror flick received 13 BAFTA nods — the most ever for a film directed by a Black filmmaker.

When Coogler stepped onstage to accept his bronze mask for Best Original Screenplay, he couldn't help but voice his shock.

Ryan Coogler accepts his BAFTA for 'Sinners'.

Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty

"I didn't expect that," Coogler admitted at the podium. "This is nerve-racking."

He went on to thank not only his cast and crew, but all the loved ones and community members who made *Sinners* possible.

"I come from a community that loves me. They made me believe that I could do this, that I could be a writer. And it was amazing to be accepted into the community of film actors, the community of Los Angeles," Coogler said. "For all the writers out there, when y’all look at that blank page, think of who you love, think of anybody who you’ve seen in pain that you identify with and wish they felt better, and let that love motivate you. I’ll be forever grateful for this, thank you all."

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Coogler beat a formidable lineup for the award, including British favorite* I Swear* penned by Kirk Jones, Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie's *Marty Supreme*, Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier's* Sentimental Value*, and *The Secret Agent *written by Kleber Mendonça Filho.

Michael B. Jordan in 'Sinners'.

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Notably, the BAFTA's have endured a few reckonings over the years, regarding racial and gender-disparity amongst the show's nominees and winners. Following backlash in 2020 about the show's lack of diversity and overall representation among its nominees, the organization reworked its nomination process, expanded membership to underrepresented groups, and mandated that members watch all longlisted films before voting.

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Released in April 2025, *Sinners* arrived to critical acclaim and went on to score big box office returns, which were especially impressive for a non-sequel, non-adapted original story. The film earned approximately $368 million globally, becoming one of the top-grossing movies of the year in addition to its glowing critic and audience reviews.

More recently, the Michael B. Jordan-fronted vampire epic shattered the long-held Academy Awards record by becoming the most-nominated movie in history. Blowing past previous record holders *La La Land* (2016), *Titanic* (1997), and Hollywood classic *All About Eve *(1950) — which were tied the most number of nominations, after earning 14 nods each — *Sinners* racked up an astounding 16 nominations.

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