A Night of Historic Wins
The 26th Black Reel Awards marked a remarkable evening for Sinners, which not only garnered a record-breaking 21 nominations but also triumphed with an unprecedented 14 awards. The film claimed top honors, including Outstanding Film, Director, and Screenplay, awarded to Ryan Coogler, while also sweeping the non-gendered acting awards. Michael B. Jordan earned the accolade for Best Lead Performance, Wunmi Mosaku won Best Supporting Performance, and Miles Caton secured Best Breakthrough Performance.
Breaking Previous Records
Sinners surpassed the previous record of 10 wins held by Black Panther, which won at the 19th Black Reel Awards in 2019. This monumental achievement places Ryan Coogler alongside fellow filmmakers Jordan Peele (Get Out) and Cord Jefferson (American Fiction) as one of the few to win in the producing, writing, and directing categories for the same project.
Notable Winners and Historical Firsts
Autumn Durald Arkapaw made history as the first woman to win Outstanding Cinematography, while Hannah Beachler achieved her third win for Outstanding Production Design, extending her own record. Additionally, Ludwig Göransson made Black Reel Awards history by winning both Outstanding Score and Original Song for I Lied to You in the same year.
Despite the night’s many accolades, Highest 2 Lowest went home without any awards, as did other Best Film nominee Hedda. Meanwhile, One of Them Days took the prize for Best First Screenplay.
Double Honors for Standout Contributors
Geeta Gandbhir celebrated double wins, taking home awards for Outstanding Documentary with The Perfect Neighbor and Best Short Film with The Devil Is Busy. R.T. Thorne also received a double accolade, winning Outstanding Independent Film and Emerging Director for 40 Acres.
Full List of Winners
Here are the winners of the 26th Black Reel Awards, presented by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF):
- Best Film: Sinners (Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler)
- Best Director: Ryan Coogler, Sinners
- Best Lead Performance: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
- Best Supporting Performance: Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners
- Best Breakthrough Performance: Miles Caton, Sinners
- Best Screenplay: Sinners — Ryan Coogler
- Best Documentary: The Perfect Neighbor — Geeta Gandbhir, director
- Best Ensemble: Sinners — Francine Maisler, casting director
- Best International Film: On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (Zambia, UK, Ireland)
- Best Voice Performance: Zoe Saldana, Avatar: Fire and Ash
- Best Original Song: “I Lied to You” from Sinners
- Best Soundtrack: Sinners
- Outstanding Score: Ludwig Göransson (Sinners)
- Best Independent Film: 40 Acres — R.T. Thorne, director
- Best Independent Documentary: We Were Here – The Untold History of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe — Fred Kudjo Kuwornu, director
- Best Short Film: “The Devil Is Busy” — Geeta Gandbhir and Christalyn Hampton, directors
- Best Emerging Director: R.T. Thorne, 40 Acres
- Best First Screenplay: Syreeta Singleton, One of Them Days
- Best Cinematography: Sinners — Autumn Durald Arkapaw
- Best Costume Design: Wicked: For Good — Paul Tazewell
- Best Editing: Sinners — Michael P. Shawver
- Best Hair & Makeup: Sinners — Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine, Sian Richards, and Shunika Terry
- Best Production Design: Sinners — Hannah Beachler, production designer; Monique Champagne, set decorator
