Ryan Coogler understands what Sunday night could mean for Oscar history. He just doesn’t obsess over it.
Instead, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker is looking forward to spending one more night with his “Sinners” collaborators, who helped bring the film to life.
Coogler could become the first black filmmaker to win best director in the nearly century-long history of the Academy Awards. Speaking Thursday night in Los Angeles, he said he is trying to stay in the present as the ceremony approaches.
“I’m just trying to enjoy the days as they come, stay present in the moment,” Coogler told The Associated Press. “When Sunday comes, brother, I’m going to show up and enjoy celebrating all the movies that are being celebrated here, including ours.”
For Coogler, the Oscars also mark the final stop of a months-long journey shared with the cast and creative team behind his film.
Since early January, the group has toured the awards circuit together, performing at major stops including the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards and NAACP Image Awards, while the film gained momentum heading into the Oscars, where it is the leading nominee with 16 mentions.
Coogler said that experience helped turn the production into something closer to a family. “We form a great family,” he said. “Sunday represents, in a way, the last time we’ll all be able to officially hang out together as the ‘Sinners’ crew.”
After the ceremony, such encounters are likely to become less frequent. “The next time we see each other, it won’t be for this movie, unless it’s like a reunion or something,” Coogler said. “I’m looking forward to hanging out with a lot of people I love. We were able to do something very specific together.”
The cast and creative team of “Sinners” were among those honored Thursday at Macro‘s party, which celebrates nominees of color across the film industry.
Hosted by Macro Founder and CEO Charles D. King and Chief Brand Officer Stacey Walker King, the annual gathering—in its eighth year—has become a highly coveted event, attracting more than 700 attendees, including Damson Idris, Coco Jones and Janelle James.
“I couldn’t be more excited about the nominations for ‘Sinners,’” said Stacey Walker King. “I couldn’t be more excited about the way we are present on these rugs and in these spaces.”
Charles D. King stated that Coogler’s influence on the industry already represents a significant achievement. “He’s already winning,” King said. “To be this filmmaker who can inspire and entertain the world and then be recognized by his peers within our arts industry is icing on the cake.”
“Sinners,” a supernatural drama set in the American South that combines historical narrative, folklore and genre film, stars Michael B. Jordan in a dual role and continues the actor’s long creative collaboration with Coogler.
Black filmmakers previously nominated for best director at the Oscars include John Singleton, Lee Daniels, Barry Jenkins, Jordan Peele and Spike Lee.