🏆🔥 Ryan Coogler Makes BAFTA History, Becomes First Black Winner for Original Screenplay

Ryan Coogler just added another groundbreaking achievement to his already historic run.

Coogler took home the BAFTA for Original Screenplay for his historical horror film Sinners, becoming the first Black writer to ever win in the category at the BAFTA Film Awards.

As he stepped on stage to roaring applause, Coogler kept it humble.

“I didn’t expect that. This is nerve-wracking.”

He went on to deliver a heartfelt speech, crediting the community that believed in him long before awards season buzz.

“I come from a community that loves me. They made me believe that I could do this, that I could be a writer,” he said. “For all the writers out there, when y’all look at that blank page, think of who you love… let that love motivate you.”

Coogler triumphed over a competitive 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 BAFTA win positions Coogler as a major contender heading into the 98th Academy Awards. Notably, only one Black screenwriter has ever won the Oscar for Original Screenplay — Jordan Peele for Get Out in 2017 — also a horror film.

Sinners is already having a record-breaking awards season. The film earned 13 BAFTA nominations — the most ever for a movie directed by a Black filmmaker — and shattered records at the Oscars with 16 nominations.

Final Oscar voting runs from February 26 to March 5, with the ceremony airing March 15 on ABC, hosted by Conan O’Brien.

If momentum continues, Coogler could be on the brink of yet another historic moment.