Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian were nominated for best picture for producing “Sinners,” while Ryan Coogler received additional nominations for best director and original screenplay.
“Sinners” is the the most nominated film in Oscars history. How are you processing that record?
Zinzi Coogler: I don’t know that it’s truly settled in yet. We’re still trying to catch our bearings. Like. literally for any morning, it’s so early. But what an insane honor.
Ryan Coogler: I was very impressed by everything that my collaborators were doing every day, so I’m so happy that everybody got recognized by their peers. Obviously, I’m biased. I think these folks I work with are some of the best in the world. I feel really fortunate. Because it doesn’t always go that way.
Did you wake up early to hear the nominations?
Ryan Coogler: I turned on YouTube when I woke up. Me and Zinzi sleep in the same room [laughs], so it was like “Hey, get up.” Very similar to how it’s been for 20-something years. It was no different from when we were in New Oreleans or on other movies. It was nice to roll over and turn on YouTube. We were up late last night working, so we’re still waking up. We’re all in California, and we’ve gotta [laughter] take the kids to school. But Sev, you say what happened with you, bro.
Sev Ohanian: At 5:15 a.m., my doorbell rang. “Ding Dong.” My parents and my sister were like, “Hey, we brought food.” So I got a chance to watch it with the family. It was awesome.
Sev, you are the first Armenian American to be nominated for the best picture. What does that mean to you?
Ohanian: Man, that’s the first time I heard that spoken out loud. Wow. That’s not a statistic I was tracking. I’m beyond honored and to have done it with Ryan and Zinzi, my collaborators, my friends, my partners. At our company, Proximity, we value telling stories about people who are often overlooked, and from different cultures. When I read the “Sinners” screenplay over a year ago, I called Ryan to talk about how I felt, as an Armenian, connected to the storyline. It’s so specific to Ryan and Zinzi’s ancestors, and a time in American history, but I related to it through my own people.
“Sinners” is a genre-bending film. You were nominated with “Black Panther,” the first comic book movie to be recognized in the best picture category, but what is it like to get all of these nominations for a genre that isn’t always honored at the Oscars?
Zinzi Coogler: I’m just floating. That we’re in the conversation and on people’s mind nearly a year after we released the film, the audience showing love to our film, I’m just running on gratitude.
Ryan, your uncle James was part of the inspiration behind “Sinners.” What would he make of all of this? How would he be celebrating today?
Ryan Coogler: I imagine he’s partying right now with a lot of his favorite musicians. He’s probably drinking some whiskey. In my family, when good things happen, we say the ancestors are dancing and they’re partying. And I believe that. I can feel him and my grandfather — from Mississippi who moved to Oakland — I felt their energy from day one with this one. So I gotta imagine they’re having a good time.
variety.com
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