Ryan Coogler is hopeful to change the century-long history of the Academy Awards this year.
The American filmmaker, famous for directing movies such as Black Panther, Creed, and Fruitvale Station, to name a few, has made history by becoming the first black direction to secure a nomination in the category for Best Director for his 2025 American Horror film Sinner.
Sinners has earned a record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations.
Coogler, who has become the seventh Black director ever nominated in the category, is not letting this milestone distract him from the greater cause.
As he explained to Variety, “The biggest danger is, something like that can dampen your hope, make you disillusioned, or feel like what you do isn’t worth it.”
“I try to protect my love for what I do. If I know statistics are going to make me feel sad, I don’t think about it,” The Sculptor creator noted.
Notably, Coogler states it is a way of survival; he did not only inherit survival from his ancestors, it was there in his values as well.