The nominations for the 97th Academy Awards have delivered a stunning rebuke to conventional wisdom. In a historic sweep, Ryan Coogler’s genre-bending vampire thriller, Sinners, has shattered records by securing 16 nominations—the most for any film in Oscar history.
The industry had widely anticipated a strong showing for several prestige titles, including Chloé Zhao’s literary adaptation Hamnet, Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling counterculture drama One Battle After Another, and Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. While these films earned their share of recognition, they were all overshadowed by the sheer force of Sinners. The film, a high-octane fantasia weaving themes of racism, music, and the Black experience, has decisively become the central narrative of this awards season.
Sinners has triumphed in a distinct cultural conversation, achieving a remarkable feat for such an audacious work. It is a supernatural tale that provocatively explores the idea of artistic creation and consumption. Its success represents a direct challenge to the often predictable patterns of awards campaigning.
Following behind, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another earned 13 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Its nomination for direction is seen as a category where it could potentially triumph over Coogler. Other notable contenders include Josh Safdie’s comedy Marty Supreme, the drama Sentimental Value, and Frankenstein, each with nine nominations.
Hamnet, despite its eight nominations and critical acclaim, may find its major victories coming at other ceremonies, such as the BAFTAs. Meanwhile, a standout of the year, Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Brazilian thriller The Secret Agent, earned four well-deserved nominations, continuing its celebrated run since its Cannes premiere.
Regardless of the final outcome on ceremony night, the 97th Oscars have already been defined by the historic achievement of Sinners, cementing Ryan Coogler’s status as a formidable filmmaker and setting a new benchmark for ambition in mainstream cinema.