Ryan Coogler turned down Oscars membership, saying he doesn’t ‘buy into awards’

Acclaimed director Ryan Coogler rejected an invitation to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the Black Panther director said he turned down the membership invite to the Oscars’ voting body in 2016 as he doesn’t believe in attaching competitive awards to filmmaking.

"I don't buy into this versus that, or 'this movie wasn't good enough to make this list,'" he said.

"I love movies. For me, that's good enough. If I'm going to be a part of organizations, they're going to be labor unions, where we're figuring out how to take care of each other's families and health insurance. But I know that these things bring exposure,” he continued.

The filmmaker is known for directing the record-shattering Marvel flick, Black Panther. Coogler bagged an Oscar nod this year as well for the film Judas and the Black Messiah.