Sinners - 16 nominations

 

Best Casting: Francine Maisler

Best Achievement in Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw

Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling: Ken Diaz, Michael Fontaine, Shunika Terry

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score): Ludwig Göransson

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song): Ludwig Göransson (music and lyric), Raphael Saadiq (music and lyric) - For “I Lied to You”

Best Sound: Chris Welcker, Benjamin A. Burtt, Felipe Pacheco, Brandon Proctor, Steve Boeddeker

Best Achievement in Visual Effects: Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, Donnie Dean

Best Motion Picture of the Year: Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler

Best Achievement in Directing: Ryan Coogler

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Michael B. Jordan

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Delroy Lindo

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Wunmi Mosaku

Best Original Screenplay: Ryan Coogler (writer)

Best Achievement in Production Design: Hannah Beachler (production designer), Monique Champagne (set decorator)

Best Achievement in Costume Design: Ruth E. Carter

Best Achievement in Film Editing: Michael P. Shawver

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Identical twin brothers Elijah “Smoke” Moore and Elias “Stack” Moore (both played by nominated lead actor Michael B. Jordan) return home after years in Chicago looking to start fresh by opening a juke joint for the Black community. They recruit family and friends, including a young blues guitarist, but their hopes are soon eclipsed by a deadly supernatural threat in the form of vampires descending on the town. As the night unfolds, survival becomes as much about confronting internal demons as the literal vampire menace. The brothers may not share a fate in the long run, but they certainly share a destiny.

There’s something bafflingly special about this movie, and that’s not just about 16 Oscar nominations, but also that Sinners had nominations in every single category for which it was eligible except one (lead actress), and it didn’t really have a lead actress. Ruth Carter has worked with Coogler before and has won 2 Oscars for Costumes for the Black Panther films, thanks to that association. Ludwig Goransson is also Coogler’s longtime music collaborator who also won an Oscar for the original Black Panther film. Coogler has a talent for assembling a band of exceptionally talented artists in front of and behind the screen, and this film is surely his masterpiece.

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