Sinners Bags 16 Oscar Nominations: Director Ryan Coogler Says He Wrote The Script In Memory Of His Uncle

The nominations for the 98th Academy Awards were unveiled on Thursday morning, and the list immediately set the tone for what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive Oscar races in recent years. This year’s announcement delivered a mix of expected frontrunners and record-setting surprises, with two films clearly dominating the conversation.

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners emerged as the biggest story of the day, earning a staggering 16 nominations. The film landed major nods across top categories, including Best Picture, Best Director for Coogler and Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan. With this achievement, Sinners broke a long-standing Academy record, surpassing the 14-nomination benchmark previously shared by classics like All About Eve, Titanic

and La La Land. The historic tally marks the highest number of nominations ever received by a single film.

On the Best Actor front, Timothée Chalamet secured his third Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, this time for his performance as table tennis prodigy Marty Mauser in Josh Safdie’s sports dramedy Marty Supreme. With this nomination, Chalamet becomes the youngest male actor in Oscar history to earn three acting nods.

Ryan Coogler reacts to Sinners historic Oscar nominations

Reacting to the milestone, Coogler expressed gratitude and disbelief, acknowledging the scale of the recognition and the collaborative effort behind the project. In an interview with AP, he said, “I wrote this script for my uncle who passed away 11 years ago. I got to imagine that he’s listening to some blues music right now to celebrate. I love making movies. I’m honored to wake up every day and do it. I was writing last night. That’s why I didn’t get too much sleep. Honestly, bro, I still feel a little bit asleep right now.”

Leonardo DiCaprio on his sixth Oscars nom

Close behind was One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, which secured 13 nominations. The film also earned a Best Picture slot, along with Best Director for Anderson and Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio. The nomination marked DiCaprio’s sixth lead actor nod, further cementing his standing as one of the most celebrated performers of his generation.

DiCaprio told AP, “At the end of the day it’s about trying to be in films that are memorable. To me what matters is great ideas and original filmmaking. The only thing I feel strongly is inherent in us as a species is the idea of us getting together and feeling any great piece of music, of opera, the communal experience of watching a film together and picking up on emotions with a population of people around you.”

Kpop Demon Hunters secures two historic nominations

The nominations also brought good news for the global animation space. The breakout animated feature KPop Demon Hunters picked up two nominations, including Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for its chart-topping track Golden. Kim Eun-jae, known as Ejae, who lent her singing voice to lead character Rumi, reacted emotionally to the recognition, calling it a proud moment for the entire team.

She told AP, “It just doesn’t feel real even right now. I’m just still trying to digest the situation. It’s just definitely a dream come true. And that’s why, you know, we write — to have a song that everyone can sing, and not just sing, but make them feel good, because the lyrics (are) very uplifting, and challenge them to sing those high notes.”

She added, “For me, also, it’s the fact that there are Korean lyrics in it. It is just kind of really crazy to see everyone from all different countries and races singing it. So, I’m just forever grateful to be a part of this incredible film that I wish I grew up watching, too.”