Ryan Coogler has opened up about what makes him sad about the history of the Academy Awards.
According to a USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative study, just 2% of all Oscar nominees and 2% of all winners from 1929 to 2025 were Black. Those figures came out to a total of 274 nominations and 63 winners in the history of the Academy.
In a recent interview, the acclaimed filmmaker spoke about how the work of Black people in the industry has been ignored.
“Hearing those numbers saddens me. But I cheer myself up thinking about how many brilliant Black women filmmakers I’ve worked with,” Coogler told Variety. Amazingly, only 20 Black women have taken home Oscar trophies in 97 years.
“I know the truth — that statistic is a lie about the reality. I know there have been Black directors who changed the arc of global cinema,” he continued. “They changed my life and got me into this business that gives me purpose. I’d rather celebrate what they did, against all odds, than lament what award they didn’t get.”
Coogler also spoke about the importance of protecting his artistry.
“The biggest danger is, something like that can dampen your hope, make you disillusioned, or feel like what you do isn’t worth it,” Coogler said. “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.”
Coogler went on to speak about the influence of Spike Lee and the late John Singleton on his work.
“I knew what John and Spike looked like before I knew what Spielberg looked like,” said Coogler. At USC, Singleton became a mentor to Coogler.
“The whole reason I went there was because of him,” Coogler recalled. “He would mentor me and watch my short films.”
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