Picture this: the 2026 Oscars ceremony has passed by without a hitch or a slap, and it’s the last award of the night. “And the Oscar goes to…” – there is a rip of an envelope seal – “One Battle After Another.” Cue polite applause and gentlemanly backslaps as Paul Thomas Anderson graces the stage and delivers another version of the same speech he gave moments before, having just won Best Director. Credits roll – a predictable end to a sedate event. Now picture this: the same setup, but after that envelope is opened, the award presenter gasps, their eyes go wide, they look up at the expectant crowd before them, and bellow a single word: “Sinners!” In the blink of an eye, Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre becomes a real-life “crowd goes wild” meme; a classic Oscars moment delivered at the apotheosis of the biggest night in filmland. This simply must happen.
There are those out there who believe it will. After all, Sinners received a record-breaking 16 nominations – more than any film in Oscar history – which positions it as a frontrunner. But this is a classic case of wishful thinking: it’s all but certain that One Battle After Another is reigning supreme. But if I had my way, the majority of votes would go to Ryan Coogler’s vampire blockbuster. This isn’t just based on how good the reaction would be, but for what it would represent at a crucial moment for cinema, at a time when studios are handing their keys over to streaming conglomerates, leaving the future of the industry feeling worryingly uncertain.
Sinners is a vibrant genre mash-up wrapped in studio blockbuster paper; a wholly original concept released amid a slew of sequels, prequels and spin-offs based on existing IP. The film, starring Michael B Jordan, follows Black citizens of a Mississippi town, whose Juke Joint celebration is hijacked by violent bloodsuckers attempting to gain entry. It’s an invigorating and original exploration of race relations from Coogler, director of films including Black Panther and Creed, who packs the picture with ideas and moments typically absent from films of this size.
But Sinners also works as whatever you want it to be: a down ‘n dirty vampire flick (that’s far superior to the lightly similar vampires-in-a-club movie From Dusk Till Dawn, thank you very much); a celebration of the power of music (one extended performance scene midway through the film, which visually merges the sounds of past and present, is a spine-tingling treat I’ve sunk my teeth into about 25 times over the last year); a chance, simply, to watch Delroy Lindo exercise his comedic edge as an increasingly soused harmonica player. Or if you just fancy seeing Jack O’Connell flaunt his Irish dancing skills as a scarily alluring fang-bearer, no film could leave you more satisfied.
There are a handful of reasons Sinners could miss out on the top prize. Despite the recent Best Picture nods for Black Swan, Get Out and The Substance, a horror film hasn’t won the biggest Oscar of the night since 1992, when The Silence of the Lambs swept the board. And the Academy also has an abysmal track record when it comes to awarding Best Picture to movies directed by Black filmmakers: only two, 2013’s 12 Years a Slave and 2016’s Moonlight, have done so in the Academy’s 98-year history. That’s a sobering statistic, and one that needs rectifying – and to do so with a horror film would feel like multiple switches on an Oscars fuse box being flipped in one go.
A Best Picture win for One Battle might make sense – it’s the cineaste’s choice; a clearly excellent film that people will watch for decades to come – but Paul Thomas Anderson already released his masterpiece in 2017 (Phantom Thread, if you’re curious) and they gave the damn Oscar to The Shape of Water instead. Sinners is the peak of Coogler’s career thus far, and it would feel like a missed opportunity not to recognise that. More importantly, a Best Picture win – coupled with Sinners’ box office success – would only solidify the message that the African-American writers and directors of tomorrow can aim for the stars when it comes to putting the Black experience on screen. This is why Sinners deserves the gold.
And, let’s face it, you can’t be giving silver to a film about vampires.
