In addition to Best Picture and Best Director, the film’s remarkable tally of 16 nominations includes Best Production Design courtesy of Centerville High School and Wright State University motion pictures graduate Hannah Beachler, the first African American to win the Academy Award in that category. She won in 2019 for “Black Panther.”
Filmed in New Orleans over roughly three months in 2024, “Sinners” features multiple locations from a small church to a bustling downtown but a large juke joint inside a sawmill is the film’s dramatic centerpiece. As twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both portrayed by Oscar nominee Michael B. Jordan at his most versatile) deal with repercussions beyond their control, the juke joint becomes a haven for education, pleasure and terror.
“Vampires are a niche genre and most would say a film in the (1930s) is also niche, especially when (it’s not) about slavery,” said Beachler, 55. “Given that there were vampires, I knew I had to do something both supernatural and fantastical and also something really grounded in what the time period in the Mississippi Delta was like. And, honestly, I was inspired by movies like ‘Big Fish,’ which had exaggerated, colorful shapes that made the film fantastical. The church in ”Sinners" is white and weirdly exaggerated — it stands out but it doesn’t overtake. I also challenged myself to work aesthetically to create things that reminded me of old Sergio Leone movies like “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and ‘A Fist Full of Dollars’ as well as John Ford’s ‘The Searchers.’ I also painted shadows on buildings like farmhouses which made it look more foreboding."
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Cherishing her Coogler collaboration
In 2013, Ryan Coogler made his acclaimed directorial debut with “Fruitvale Station,” a gripping drama starring the aforementioned Jordan based on the true story of Oscar Grant III. Beachler provided production design for the film and also joined Coogler for “Creed” as well as “Black Panther” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
Having won such precursors as the Critics Choice Awards, British Academy Film Awards and Writers Guild Awards, Coogler is the Oscar frontrunner for Best Original Screenplay.
“In a country of emotionally immature people, Ryan is emotionally mature,” Beachler said. “When he is creating something, people are seeing something that is coming from a place of security. They feel comforted. When he writes he is not writing characters (intended) to be stereotypes or characters that take on his issues or problems. Even a character like Stack makes you feel safe, which is why people are ride or die with Ryan because he makes you feel safe like a father should.”
Beachler also recalled the praise Coogler received at the Feb. 10 Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon.
“My favorite part of the entire luncheon was the class picture,” she said. “Ryan was the last person called to (join the photo). The entire room stood up, erupted and clapped. Steven Spielberg, Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet and (others) cheered. Ryan definitely got the flowers he deserved.”
‘Hollywood is just an idea in people’s heads’
In addition to the 2016 Academy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning best picture “Moonlight,” Beachler’s credits include an Emmy nomination for Beyoncé’s visual album “Lemonade.” She also served as production designer for the documentary concert film “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé.”
She also made her Broadway debut in 2024 designing an Afrofuturistic spin on Dayton native Schele Williams’ rousing revival of “The Wiz,” which was performed at the Schuster Center last November.
Credit: Michael Baker / The Academy
Credit: Michael Baker / The Academy
Having spent 10 months in Capetown, South Africa working on “Children of Blood and Bone” directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (“Love & Basketball,” “The Woman King”), her future projects include a return overseas for “Black Panther 3” and an upcoming assignment in Vancouver. The New Orleans-based designer also enjoys having a second home in Yellow Springs and pursuing her love of horseback riding in Bellbrook.
She looks forward to celebrating with her fellow Oscar nominees and “Sinners” family on Hollywood’s Biggest Night but continues to keep everything in perspective.
“I’m not Hollywood,” Beachler said. “Hollywood is just an idea in people’s heads. It’s what you think you’re seeing on television or in the magazines or on the red carpets. Awards season lasts eight weeks — it is not life but a moment. The rest of the year you’re working like your life depends on it. So, I think when people think of Hollywood it is sort of this mythological idea of star and fame. But no one sees us struggling on set when the set is flooded or buried in mud — that’s not glamorous. It’s only glamorous for the time you allow yourself to dress up and say you worked really hard."
Credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
ACADEMY AWARDS
The 98th annual Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will take place Sunday at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live at 7 p.m. on ABC and streamed live on Hulu.
For a complete list of nominees, visit oscars.org.
About the Author
