Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” was already one of 2025’s most talked-about films. Now, it’s made Oscar history.
The supernatural Jim Crow-era epic has broken the record for Academy Award nominations received by a single film, earning 16 nods and igniting conversations about what kinds of stories Hollywood chooses to honor — and why.
At UF, students and faculty say the recognition feels both validating and complicated.
For Catherine Saunders, a UF assistant professor of African American literature and media, the film’s milestone is significant but layered.
Major awards institutions have historically overlooked many culturally significant Black works, Saunders said, which makes moments of recognition feel both celebratory and uncertain. She emphasized that while milestones like these draw visibility, they are not what make the work meaningful.
“I think fully acknowledging Black work is understanding that it doesn’t need acknowledgement from a larger culture in order to be central,” Saunders said.
That impact has already made its way into her classroom.
Saunders said she has incorporated “Sinners” into multiple courses, using it as a visual text to help students connect themes from African American literature and theory to contemporary media. She said students have responded strongly to the film and the way it bridges history, culture and genre storytelling.
The movie stands out for how it draws from long traditions of Black storytelling while carving out space for more original, culturally rooted narratives in mainstream film, Saunders said. Moments like this, she added, can help broaden the kinds of stories studios are willing to support in the future.
Students on campus shared that excitement and some uncertainty about what the record-breaking nominations ultimately mean.
Horror often goes overlooked at the Academy Awards, with “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991) remaining the only film of its genre to take home Best Picture. Fans of the genre, like Hannah Torres, a 20-year-old UF biology sophomore, say they’re nervous the nominations won’t translate to wins, given the ceremony’s anti-horror history.
“I was really happy that it got so many nominations,” Torres said. “However, I was also like, I hope these aren’t empty nominations and it doesn’t win just one award at the actual Oscars.”
As the secretary of UF’s Film Society, Torres said when she saw “Sinners” in theaters in April 2025, she walked in expecting to be underwhelmed.
“I had went in already hyped for it. … Usually, that is a bad thing,” she said. “However, when I watched that movie, it was really good.”
She praised the film’s music and cinematography and said its blend of horror and emotional storytelling worked well. As a horror fan, she said the vampire storyline and family tension especially resonated with her.
Joshua Nemery, a 22-year-old UF political science senior and president of Film Society, said he wasn’t initially drawn to the film’s horror elements but went to see it because of the growing buzz.
He said the film’s structure — beginning as a grounded period piece before leaning into its supernatural horror — made it stand out.
“I’m definitely not a gore fan,” Nemery said. “But I found this brilliant. I found it tremendously well done.”
When he learned “Sinners” broke the nomination record, Nemery said the moment felt deserved and potentially meaningful for the industry.
“The Academy has decided to recognize ‘Sinners’ in a way that other award ceremonies haven’t,” he said. “I think the Academy is sending a message here that this is the kind of movie they want to see more of.”
As awards night approaches, students pointed to the film’s technical achievements as strong contenders, especially in music, production design and visual effects.
Contact Aaliyah Evertz at aevertz@alligator.org. Follow her on X @aaliyahevertz1.
Aaliyah is a second-year journalism student in her second semester at the Alligator. She is the Avenue's spring 2026 entertainment reporter. In her free time, she enjoys reading and baking.
