Ryan Coogler continues to make history.
Coogler added another landmark first to an already seismic awards season, winning the BAFTA for original screenplay for “Sinners” and becoming the first Black winner in the category’s history.
He beat a formidable lineup that included “I Swear” (Kirk Jones), “Marty Supreme” (Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie), “The Secret Agent” (Kleber Mendonça Filho) and “Sentimental Value” (Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier).
The win bodes well for Coogler’s Oscar prospects, where he will face two of his BAFTA competitors again — “Marty Supreme” and “Sentimental Value” — along with “Blue Moon” (Robert Kaplow) and “It Was Just an Accident” (Mehdi Mahmoudian, Jafar Panahi, Shadmehr Rastin and Nader Saivar). At the Academy Awards, only one Black screenwriter has won for original screenplay: Jordan Peele for “Get Out” (2017) — coincidentally, also a horror film.
Coogler’s historical horror “Sinners” is the year’s second-most nominated film at BAFTA with 13 nods — the most ever for a film directed by a Black filmmaker — and it shattered the all-time Oscars nominations record with 16.
Final Oscar voting will take place from Feb. 26 to Mar. 5. The 98th Oscars will be held March 15 and will air on ABC, hosted by Conan O’Brien.