Full Breakdown
Sinners Achieves Historic Victory at the 2026 Black Reel Awards
2/17/2026, 7:44:16 AM
Record-Breaking Wins for Sinners
The 2026 Black Reel Awards witnessed an unprecedented triumph for the film *Sinners*, which secured a record 14 wins, including Outstanding Film, Outstanding Director for Ryan Coogler, and Outstanding Screenplay. This achievement marks a significant milestone, surpassing the previous record of 10 wins held by *Black Panther* at the 19th Black Reel Awards in 2019. Coogler's accomplishment ties him with Gina Prince-Bythewood as the most awarded director at the Black Reel Awards.
The film's success extended to the acting categories, where Michael B. Jordan won Outstanding Lead Performance, Wunmi Mosaku took home Outstanding Supporting Performance, and Miles Caton was recognized as Outstanding Breakthrough Performance. This marked the first time since the restructuring of the acting categories that a single film swept all three awards.
Notable Achievements and Firsts
*Sinners* also made history with Autumn Durald Arkapaw becoming the first woman to win Outstanding Cinematography. Additionally, Ludwig Göransson achieved a unique feat by winning both Outstanding Score and Outstanding Original Song for "I Lied to You," a song performed by Caton. This year also saw Zoe Saldaña recognized as the first female actor to win two career Bolts for Outstanding Voice Performance for her role in *Avatar: Fire & Ash*.
Other notable winners included Geeta Gandbhir, who won Outstanding Documentary for *The Perfect Neighbor* and Outstanding Short Film for *The Devil Is Busy*, and R.T. Thorne, who received accolades for Outstanding Independent Film and Emerging Director for *40 Acres*.
Complete List of Winners
The following is a summary of the major awards presented at the 26th annual Black Reel Awards:
- Outstanding Film: *Sinners*
- Outstanding Director: Ryan Coogler (*Sinners*)
- Outstanding Lead Performance: Michael B. Jordan (*Sinners*)
- Outstanding Supporting Performance: Wunmi Mosaku (*Sinners*)
- Outstanding Breakthrough Performance: Miles Caton (*Sinners*)
- Outstanding Documentary: *The Perfect Neighbor* (Geeta Gandbhir)
- Outstanding International Film: *On Becoming a Guinea Fowl* (Zambia, UK, Ireland)
- Outstanding Voice Performance: Zoe Saldaña (*Avatar: Fire & Ash*)
- Outstanding Score: Ludwig Göransson (*Sinners*)
- Outstanding Original Song: "I Lied to You" from *Sinners* (Miles Caton, Raphael Saadiq & Ludwig Göransson)
- Outstanding Independent Film: *40 Acres* (R.T. Thorne)
- Outstanding Short Film: *The Devil Is Busy* (Geeta Gandbhir & Christalyn Hampton)
- Outstanding Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw (*Sinners*)
- Outstanding Costume Design: Paul Tazewell (*Wicked: For Good*)
Conclusion
The 2026 Black Reel Awards not only celebrated the achievements of *Sinners* but also highlighted the diverse talent within the film industry. With its record-setting performance, *Sinners* has set a new standard for excellence in filmmaking and representation at the Black Reel Awards.
