Ryan Coogler is an American filmmaker. He is known for writing and directing franchise films and blockbusters and has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award (BAFTA), a Critics' Choice Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Grammy Award.
Coogler made his feature-length debut with the independent film Fruitvale Station (2013), winning prizes at both the Sundance Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival, before transitioning to directing and writing franchise films such as the Rocky series spinoff Creed (2015), as well as the Marvel films Black Panther (2018) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). Coogler has also produced the historical drama Judas and the Black Messiah (2021), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. He co-wrote the song "Lift Me Up" with Rihanna and Nigerian singer Tems for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack (2022), which earned him nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Song, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
Coogler directed, wrote and produced the 2025 horror film Sinners, which received unanimous acclaim both from critics and audiences alike. It earned him three Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. The film broke the Oscars' all-time nomination record, earning 16 nods and surpassing the previous mark of 14.. It also earned him nominations for three BAFTA Awards, three Critics' Choice Awards, winning Best Original Screenplay, three Golden Globe Awards, winning Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing in a Feature Film, and the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture. He also won the Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for the film's accompanying soundtrack.
Major associations Academy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2020 Best Picture Judas and the Black Messiah 2022 Best Original Song "Lift Me Up" (from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) 2025 Best Picture Sinners Best Director Best Original Screenplay
BAFTA Awards Year Category Nominated work Result British Academy Film Awards 2025 Best Film Sinners Best Direction Best Original Screenplay
Critics' Choice Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2018 Best Adapted Screenplay Black Panther 2022 Best Song "Lift Me Up" (from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) 2025 Best Picture Sinners Best Director Best Original Screenplay
Emmy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result News and Documentary Emmy Awards 2026 Best Documentary Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time Outstanding Historical Documentary
Golden Globes Year Category Nominated work Result 2022 Best Original Song "Lift Me Up" (from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) 2025 Best Motion Picture – Drama Sinners Best Director Best Screenplay Cinematic and Box Office Achievement
Grammy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2023 Best Song Written for Visual Media "Lift Me Up" Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Visual Media Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music From And Inspired By 2025 Sinners
Guilds of America Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Directors Guild of America Awards 2025 Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film Sinners Producers Guild of America Awards 2021 Best Theatrical Motion Picture Judas and the Black Messiah 2026 Best Theatrical Motion Picture Sinners Writers Guild of America Awards 2018 Best Adapted Screenplay Black Panther 2022 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 2025 Best Original Screenplay Sinners
NAACP Image Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2014 Outstanding Independent Motion Picture Fruitvale Station 2016 Outstanding Motion Picture Creed Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture 2019 Outstanding Motion Picture Black Panther Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture Entertainer of the Year 2023 Outstanding Motion Picture Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Outstanding Direction in a Motion Picture Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album 2024 Outstanding Podcast – Limited Series/Short Form Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 2026 Outstanding Motion Picture Sinners Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album
Miscellaneous awards Year Award Category Nominated work Result 2013 Cannes Film Festival Prix de l'Avenir d'Un Certain Regard Fruitvale Station Grand Prix d'Un Certain Regard Caméra d'Or Gotham Awards Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award Nantucket Film Festival Vimeo Award for Best Writer/Director National Board of Review Best Directorial Debut Sundance Film Festival Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Dramatic 2014 Black Reel Awards Outstanding Film Fruitvale Station Outstanding Director Outstanding Screenplay, Adapted or Original Independent Spirit Awards Best First Feature Satellite Awards Honorary Satellite Award 2016 Black Reel Awards Outstanding Film Creed Outstanding Director Outstanding Original or Adapted Screenplay (with Aaron Covington) Empire Awards Best Director 2019 Saturn Awards Best Director Black Panther Best Writing (with Joe Robert Cole) Satellite Awards Auteur Award USC Scripter Award Best Adapted Screenplay (with Joe Robert Cole) Black Reel Awards Outstanding Film Outstanding Director Outstanding Screenplay (with Joe Robert Cole) 2022 Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Picture Space Jam: A New Legacy Hollywood Music in Media Awards Best Original Song in a Feature Film (for ) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 2023 Black Reel Awards Outstanding Film Outstanding Director Outstanding Screenplay Outstanding Soundtrack Hugo Award Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form (with Joe Robert Cole) 2026 Astra Film Awards Best Director Sinners Black Reel Awards Outstanding FilmSinners Outstanding Director Outstanding Screenplay Outstanding Soundtrack Bram Stoker Award Screenplay Sinners Independent Spirit Awards Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series (as executive producer) Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time National Board of Review Top Ten FilmsSinners Best Original Screenplay
Critics awards Year Award Category Nominated work Result 2013 Austin Film Critics Association Best First Film Fruitvale Station Boston Online Film Critics Association Best New Filmmaker Chicago Film Critics Association Most Promising Filmmaker Detroit Film Critics Society Best Breakthrough Las Vegas Film Critics Society Breakout Filmmaker of the Year New York Film Critics Online Best Debut Director Phoenix Film Critics Society Breakthrough Performance Behind the Camera San Francisco Film Critics Circle Marlon Riggs Award Central Ohio Film Critics Breakthrough Film Artist 2015 African-American Film Critics Association Best Director Creed Indiana Film Journalists Association Best Director Las Vegas Film Critics Society Best Director Los Angeles Film Critics Association New Generation Award New York Film Critics Online Best Director 2018 African-American Film Critics Association Best Director Black Panther Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Screenplay, Adapted (with Joe Robert Cole) San Francisco Film Critics Circle Best Adapted Screenplay (with Joe Robert Cole) Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Director Best Adapted Screenplay (with Joe Robert Cole) Georgia Film Critics Association Best Adapted Screenplay (with Joe Robert Cole) 2026Los Angeles Film Critics AssociationBest DirectorSinnersLondon Film Critics Circle Film of the Year Director of the YearScreenwriter of the YearToronto Film Critics AssociationBest Film Best DirectorBest Screenplay
Honorary awards Organizations Year Accolade Result Ref. Time Magazine 2013 List of the 30 people under 30 2018 Person of the Year List of Time 100 Influential People
References