The 2026 Academy Award nominations – better known as the Oscars – were recently announced with a film connected to Mississippi leading the field.
While “Sinners” was filmed in Louisiana, the Jim Crow-era vampire flick is set in the Mississippi Delta, specifically in Clarksdale. Directed by Ryan Coogler, the movie earned a record 16 Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture, Best Director, and several other acting and technical categories.
The 16 nominations soared past the previous record of 14 shared by “All About Eve” (1950), “Titanic” (1997), and “La La Land” (2016).
What categories was ‘Sinners’ nominated in?
“Sinners” was nominated for Oscars in the following categories:
- Best Picture
- Best Director (Coogler)
- Best Actor (Michael B. Jordan)
- Best Supporting Actor (Delroy Lindo)
- Best Supporting Actress (Wunmi Mosaku)
- Best Original Screenplay (Coogler)
- Best Original Score (Ludwig Göransson)
- Best Original Song (“I Lied To You”)
- Best Film Editing
- Best Production Design
- Best Casting
- Best Cinematography
- Best Costume Design
- Best Makeup & Hairstyling
- Best Sound
- Best Visual Effects
How did Mississippi inspire ‘Sinners’?
Coogler is not from Mississippi but used his family’s ties to the state to help come up with the film’s basis. The director’s uncle was born in Mississippi and would often tell the now-filmmaker about the history of blues music and what he experienced living in a racially divided South.
“He would get off work, and all he’d want to do is listen to old blues records and drink Old Taylor Whiskey,” Coogler recounted in an interview on the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast. “And I would just sit there with my uncle, who was the oldest man I knew, listening to stories about Mississippi and talking to him about life and baseball.”
Another physical connection to the film, even though it wasn’t filmed in Mississippi, is the appearance of Buddy Guy and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram in the ending credits scene. Guy is honored on the Mississippi Blue Trail and Ingram is a Clarksdale-born guitarist who helped with the film’s soundtrack.
‘Sinners’ award season run continues
The Oscars will make for the latest honors “Sinners” is up for.
Earlier in the awards season, “Sinners” pulled in Golden Globe wins in the categories of Best Original Score and Cinematic Box Office Achievement. A surprise to some, it missed out on wins in the Best Actor category (Jordan) and Best Director (Coogler) categories, both of which critics had “Sinners” as a frontrunner.
At the Critics’ Choice Awards, “Sinners” pulled in a win in the Best Young Performer category (Miles Caton) and won three technical and creative categories. It’s also picked up wins at the Astra Film Awards, Houston Film Critics Society Awards, New York Film Critics Online Awards, and Hollywood Music in Media Awards, among other smaller honors.
Other Oscar nominations of note
While “Sinners” dominated the nominations, several other films also received significant recognition, including “One Battle After Another,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “Bugonia,” “Sentimental Value,” “The Secret Agent,” and “Train Dreams,” setting up a competitive Oscars race.
The Oscars are widely considered the film industry’s highest honor, presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence in filmmaking.
When are the Oscars?
The 98th Academy Awards will take place Sunday, March 15, at 6 p.m. CT inside the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
The live show will be hosted by Conan O’Brien and air on ABC and Hulu.