Ryan Coogler won Best Original Screenplay at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards for Sinners.
Coogler wrote and directed Sinners, a period horror film set in the American South. The screenplay award honored the film’s original story rather than an adaptation of a previously published novel, play, or other source.
The category included scripts associated with Jay Kelly, Marty Supreme, Weapons, Sorry, Baby, and Sentimental Value. Paul Thomas Anderson won the separate adapted-screenplay award for One Battle After Another, making the distinction between the two writing categories important.
Coogler’s Critics Choice victory added to Sinners’ strong night. The film also won awards connected with its cast and music, including Best Score for Ludwig Göransson and Best Casting and Ensemble for Francine Maisler.