“Sinners” may have only won 4 of the 16 Oscar nominations the Academy heaped on the film, but the speeches the winners delivered were the most memorable. The horror drama directed by Ryan Coogler earned him his first Oscar for Original screenplay. Once onstage, Coogler steered away from the usual cookie-cutter speech and although he thanked the film’s studio, cast and crew, more importantly, he dedicated the trophy to his family.
“Zinzi, you’re the best wife and mom in the world. Every day I get to spend with you is better than the one that came before it. And to my parents who are here, thank you for all the memories. Thank you for making me believe in myself. And to my babies that are at home watching, I apologize for all the time away. Dad loves you. Memories are all we have. I hope I’ll give you some great ones.”
Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who became the first ever woman to win the cinematography Oscar for “Sinners” not only honored all women in her acceptance speech, but she also heaped praises on director Ryan Coogler calling him a very honorable person.
“Whenever I say thank you to Ryan, he replies and says, “No, thank you. Thank you for believing in me and thank you for trusting me.” And that’s the kind of guy that I get to make films with, she shared onstage. “He’s a very, very honorable person. And he means it. And he really, truly means it. And I feel like I had to meet him. I’m so honored to be here, and I really want all the women in the room to stand up, because I feel like I don’t get here without you guys. I really, really, truly mean that.
I have felt so much love from all the women on this whole campaign and gotten to meet so many people. And I just feel like moments like this happen because of you guys, and I want to thank you for that. I want to thank Warner Brothers, Zinzi, Sev, my whole crew, Ethan, Brian, Miguel, Dre, Josh, all these people that worked their hearts out. And my cast: Michael, Delroy, Wunmi, Miles, Jayme, Omar, Li Li, Jack, Hailey. These are so beautiful, these people are so beautiful, and I’m honored to be there photographing them.”
Backstage, Arkapaw told the press that she hopes getting this award will change the lives of many girls.
Michael B. Jordan, who also won his first Oscar, a Best Actor trophy for “Sinners” called out his dad, who flew in from Ghana to attend the event. He received a standing ovation and took time to acknowledge the few winners of color who had won previously won Oscars.
“I stand here because of the people that came before me: Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forrest Whitaker, Will Smith. To be amongst those giants, amongst those greats, amongst my ancestors, amongst my guys. Thank you, everybody in this room, and everybody at home for supporting me in my career. I feel it. I know you guys want me to do well, and I want to do that because you guys bet on me. Thank you for betting on me, and I’m going to keep stepping up, and I’m going to keep being the best version of myself that I can be.”
Jordan also thanked “everybody at home who supported ‘Sinners’ and went to go see the movie once, twice, three, four, five times” for making the movie the sensation it’s been, saying, “I love you.”
“Sinners” also received the Oscar statuette for Best Score for its music composer Ludwig Goransson.
In the supporting actor category, “Sinners” actor Delroy Lindo lost the bid for Best Supporting Actor, which went to Sean Penn for “One Battle After Another.” Amy Madigan beat out “Sinners” actress Wunmi Mosaku for the Best Actress nod receiving the first award of the night for Best Actress in movie “Weapons.”
Kate Hawley, beat out “Sinners” Ruth E. Carter to take home the Achievement in costume design Oscar for “Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein.” The live-action film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel about a scientist bringing a monstrous creature to life in a daring experiment, also won an Oscar in the makeup and hairstyling category.
Other winners included the Netflix film, “KPop Demon Hunters” which took home Oscars for best animated feature and best song. Co-director and writer Maggie Kang and producer Michelle Wong are the first people of South Korean descent to ever win in the animated feature category.
Comedian and TV personality Conan O’Brien, best known for hosting the late-night talk show “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” returned for a second year to host the ceremony, held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Next up, Jordan is set to direct and star in a remake of Steve McQueen’s 1968 heist movie “The Thomas Crown Affair.” He will also star and produce an adaptation of Tom Clancy’s “Rainbow Six” where he will reprise Navy SEAL-turned-CIA operative John Clark. There’s also another “Miami Vice” movie where he will play Ricardo Tubbs and the upcoming sequel “I am Legend 2” alongside Will Smith which is currently in development.
Samantha Ofole-Prince is a U.S. based journalist and movie critic who covers industry-specific news that includes television and film.
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