BAFTA 2026: Ryan Coogler makes history with Sinners win

Ryan Coogler makes history at BAFTA 2026

• Ryan Coogler wins BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay for Sinners
• He is the first Black filmmaker to win this BAFTA award
• Sinners received 13 BAFTA and 16 Oscar nominations

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Ryan Coogler made history once again on Sunday night at the 79th British Academy Film Awards, taking home the BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay for his acclaimed horror drama, Sinners.

With this win, Ryan Coogler became the first Black filmmaker ever to claim the award, adding another milestone to an already remarkable awards season.

“I didn’t expect that,” he admitted on stage, met with a standing ovation. “This is nerve-wracking.” His words reflected both humility and gratitude, capturing the significance of the moment for him personally and for the wider film community.

Coogler went on to share a deeply personal message: “I come from a community that loves me. They made me believe that I could do this, that I could be a writer. And it was amazing to be accepted into the community of film actors, the community of Los Angeles … For all the writers out there, when y’all look at that blank page, think of who you love, think of anybody who you’ve seen in pain that you identify with and wish they felt better and let that love motivate you. I’ll be forever grateful for this, thank you all.”

The competition in the category had been fierce, with Coogler beating strong contenders including Kirk Jones’ heartfelt I Swear, Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie’s energetic Marty Supreme, Kleber Mendonça Filho’s suspenseful The Secret Agent, and Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier’s moving drama Sentimental Value.

Sinners had already been a standout of the awards season, receiving 13 BAFTA nominations—the most ever for a film directed by a Black filmmaker—and breaking records with 16 Academy Award nominations, making it one of the most recognised horror films in Oscars history.

Ryan Coogler’s BAFTA win sets the stage for strong Oscar prospects, where he will face several of the same competitors, including Marty Supreme and Sentimental Value, alongside Robert Kaplow’s Blue Moon and Mehdi Mahmoudian, Jafar Panahi, Shadmehr Rastin and Nader Saivar’s It Was Just an Accident.

Also Read: BAFTA awards 2026: Check complete list of winners At The 79th British Academy Film Awards

Only one Black filmmaker has previously won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay—Jordan Peele for Get Out in 2017—making Coogler’s achievement all the more historic.

With final Oscar voting running from February 26 to March 5, all eyes will be on him at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, hosted by Conan O'Brien.

Sunday night’s BAFTA triumph not only celebrates Ryan Coogler’s talent as a storyteller but also marks a significant moment for representation, inspiring a new generation of Black writers and filmmakers around the world.