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Zinzi Coogler and The Women of Sinners Full Speech | ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood 2026
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00:11What's up you guys? How y'all doing? Good?
00:24Listen, it means everything to be here with Ryan celebrating the women behind sinners.
00:29Zinzi Kugler, Wumi Mosaku, Jamie Lawson, Autumn Derald-Akapa, Hannah Buechler, Ruthie Carter, and Shanika Terry Jennings.
00:47This film exists because of them, but right now I want to talk about Zinzi for a second.
00:53There she goes, yeah I know, it's coming. I ain't gonna embarrass you too much.
00:57She's one of those people who doesn't like the spotlight, but she absolutely deserves it.
01:03I watched her up close and personal across multiple projects.
01:07And what strikes me every time is how she leads. Quiet, steady, intentional.
01:12You know, she makes sure every single person feels seen. She's gonna be in the back talking her stuff every
01:19once in a while.
01:19You know what I'm saying? Staring the ship every so often, but she makes sure her point is very, very
01:24clear.
01:24It's rare. And all of that really, really matters.
01:27Together with Ryan and Sev O'Haney, she built Proximity Media from the ground up with one goal.
01:34Tell stories that matter, especially the ones that don't always get told.
01:39They came out the gate with Judas and the Black Messiah.
01:42Six Oscar nominations, two wins.
01:47It's not too bad for a first swing.
01:49And now Sinners, 16 Academy Award nominations.
01:56The most ever for a single film.
02:00And none of that happens without Zinzi Kugler.
02:03It doesn't happen without her vision, without her leadership, without her love.
02:09Nah, go ahead, man. You got it.
02:10Yeah, thanks, bro.
02:13Oh, shit.
02:16Okay. Copy that.
02:19Nah, go ahead. Go ahead. Get into it. Get into it. Get into it. Get into it.
02:22I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, babe.
02:29We've been truly blessed that Sinners resonated the way it did with audiences and critics alike.
02:36But none of that happens in isolation.
02:38It exists because of collaboration, because of trust, community,
02:42and because of seven extraordinary women who poured their artistry into this film.
02:46I'll say a little bit more about Sinners later.
02:48But I think you already know what she is to our life and our work.
02:51She's my partner in every sense of the word.
02:53But what I will say is that Wumi, Jamie, Autumn, Hannah, Ruth, and Shanika, you are family to us.
03:00When you spend months on set building something from the ground up, talent matters.
03:03But heart matters just as much.
03:05And I genuinely love working beside each of you.
03:08Wumi, where you at, Wumi?
03:11Ah.
03:12You didn't just play Annie.
03:14You breathed spirit into her.
03:16You gave her layers, gravity, tenderness.
03:19You gave her a soul.
03:27Jamie, I know where Jamie is.
03:29Hey, Jamie.
03:30Jamie, you made pearly luminous.
03:32There was a vibrancy and sensuality you brought that felt alive in every frame.
03:36And that performance of Pale Pale Moon, it lingers.
03:45Autumn, where you at?
03:46I see, I see.
03:47Hey, Autumn.
03:48Autumn, our cinematographer.
03:50We pushed boundaries together.
03:51We experimented.
03:52We took risks.
03:53And you helped give Sinners a visual language that feels singular.
03:56Something a screen hadn't seen quite before.
03:59Hadn't quite seen before.
04:01Hannah Buechler, our production designer.
04:03Where you at, Hannah?
04:07Hannah.
04:08You built the Clarksdale that lived in my memory and imagination.
04:11You made it tactile, immediate.
04:14You made it real.
04:15Ruth Carter, our costume designer.
04:24Your storytelling through costume continues to be unmatched.
04:28You don't just dress characters.
04:29You reveal them.
04:31And Shanika, our head of hair.
04:36Your dedication to honoring history didn't just recreate it.
04:39You revived it.
04:40You gave it breath.
04:42Each of you is a luminary in your own right.
04:46Your work radiates.
04:48And this recognition is not just deserved.
04:50It's necessary.
04:51Which brings me to Zinzi.
04:53So, I'm married to Zinzi.
05:01Known her since we were very young.
05:04And I first met her, and I said this wrong the last time I did this, but I first met
05:08her in the year 2000.
05:09And she was kicking everybody's ass on the track in the 800.
05:13She would beat girls by like a lap.
05:17And seeing her run, she was strong, powerful, really skilled.
05:21I had no idea she was as shy as she was.
05:23So, I'm just giving y'all a warning, man.
05:25Zinzi is a real introvert, man.
05:27All the introverts stand up, man, if y'all out there, bro.
05:30Yo.
05:32Yo.
05:33She is.
05:35She is.
05:37Yo.
05:38Yo, the fact that she must really rock with Essence, man.
05:41Because, like, the fact that she finna come up here and talking a little bit is crazy.
05:46But, but, but she is, she is brilliant.
05:51And she is a phenomenal leader.
05:53And I leave for work all the time.
05:55I leave in my family.
05:56And it's nice to come home and be to somebody who I know I can trust to leave so I
06:00can be led.
06:01I'll tell y'all a quick, I'll tell y'all a quick story about, about Zinzi.
06:05And y'all should just know, man, that this movie, you know, big credit to her and Sev, our partner,
06:11man.
06:11But it wouldn't be what it was without her, man.
06:13And she did it all pregnant and postpartum, most of it.
06:20Like, um, like I seen her.
06:26She was, she was in every, she was in every post-production meeting, man.
06:29Like, like, like holding it down and dealing with all types of stuff, you know.
06:33Um, that only y'all could see.
06:35We took the film on a road all over the world while she was out there here.
06:39Y'all saw her, man.
06:39It wasn't easy.
06:40And then we, and it hasn't stopped.
06:42You know what I mean?
06:42All of this since, you know, our little baby is seven months old now.
06:46And she, and she, and as good as a producer she is, she an even better mom.
06:49So, so to see her do all of this is crazy.
06:51But, but, but, I'm gonna just, I'm gonna just leave y'all with one insight into her brilliance, man.
06:59Like, like we were dealing with some stuff at home.
07:02And, and, and two family members were at, kind of at each other's throats about, about, about some things.
07:07Um, and I, and I did what I did.
07:09I vented for like 40 minutes to her about, you know, who did what and why, why we gotta do
07:13this to support who.
07:15And, and, and, and she took a deep breath when I got done venting.
07:19And, and her, and her crazy, zingy way.
07:22And she says, you know, sometimes it doesn't matter who's right.
07:28What matters is that people know that the other person cares about them.
07:32And I, and I had, you know, I'm a writer.
07:35I heard a lot of words.
07:36I listen, I think about words all the time.
07:39I live, I live with this woman for a long time.
07:41And I never heard those words put together like that in that context.
07:44And I was, I was like, God damn, man, you one of one.
07:48Um, and I, and I, and I felt like one of one for bagging her.
07:52You know what I'm saying?
07:58Um, hey, hey, hey, so, so, so, so look, yo, hey.
08:06So, um, so, so, so with all of that, you know, bless all of you, man, I'm gonna throw it
08:10to a video package.
08:11And then we'll, and then we'll bring up, we'll bring up.
08:15Vision changes what we see.
08:17Leadership changes what becomes possible.
08:21Zinzi Coogler does both.
08:23As co-founder of Proximity Media, she champions bold, culturally grounded storytelling.
08:29I feel like one of the luckiest people alive to be a filmmaker and to call myself a filmmaker.
08:34The craft of filmmaking is communal work and we do not exist without each other.
08:39There were so many hands that needed to be a part of a project in order to get it in
08:44front of audiences.
08:45That diligence, that dedication, but often blood, sweat, and tears to get something across the finish line.
08:52I think it was so fulfilling.
08:53With centers, that work deepened.
08:56It became collaboration, community, power shared.
09:00Every department had the most elite master in their craft at the helm of their department.
09:06A room filled with extraordinary women.
09:09Through the lens of Autumn Derald Archipaugh, every frame carried intention.
09:14I think you always want the space to feel real and heightened and elevated.
09:19So, Hannah and Ruth are like my right hand.
09:22And to do a piece like this with those people that you love and that are your family is a
09:27very big deal.
09:27It's really an honor.
09:28Hannah Buechler shaped the world itself.
09:31I think that my purpose in the industry hasn't changed.
09:36But what it did do was make me understand that that was nothing to do with me.
09:41It was bigger than me.
09:43And I think that's when I really heard the ancestors speaking.
09:46Ruth E. Carter carried history through every stitch.
09:52There's so many layers to storytelling.
09:55It's not just clothes.
09:57It's character building.
09:58It's all of the details that work with what everybody else is doing.
10:03And that's what you see with centers.
10:05Shanika Terry Jennings grounded every detail in truth.
10:10Listen, working with Zenzy and watching all of these leading ladies is, um, the word is inspirational.
10:20I'm beyond blessed and thankful to even be in a room with these ladies.
10:24On screen, Wami Musaku brought fearless depth.
10:29The role of this industry in the greater picture, I think I see it a bit clearer now because of
10:35Sinners.
10:36I think, like, the surreal montage shows so directly where we're from, what we're doing in the present, and where
10:42it's going in the future.
10:44Jamie Lawson brought strength and vulnerability in equal measure.
10:49There was a real sense of community and, like, craftsmanship and generosity and joy.
10:58And you just hold on to that for dear life because if I never get another opportunity like that again,
11:03I will be forever grateful that I had this one.
11:06This is what it means to lead with vision.
11:09To create space where others can thrive.
11:12I think it's incredible how the audience responded to Sinners and how it seemed to have resonated with people in
11:23such a deep way.
11:24It's just a complete honor.
11:34It is with the utmost humility and gratitude that we take this opportunity to shine a luminary spotlight on just
11:41a few of the women who made this story success that this film has been so far.
11:47Please stand to your feet in joining me in welcoming my sisters to the stage.
11:50Omi Moussaka, Ruth Carter, Jamie Lawson, Autumn Dura, AquaBall, Shanika, Terry Jennings, and of course, Zinziku.
11:59All this stars are blue.
12:01It's maybe the night that my dreams might let me know.
12:04All this stars are blue, sir.
12:06All this stars are blue, sir.
12:09All this stars are blue, sir.
12:09All this stars are blue, sir.
12:10Tell me what you gon' do to me.
12:13Confrontation ain't nothin' new to me.
12:16You could bring a bullet, bring a score, bring a morgue, but you can't bring the truth to me.
12:20Fuck you and all your expectations.
12:23I don't even want your congratulations.
12:25I recognize your false confidence and calculated promises.
12:28All in your conversation.
12:30I hate people that feel entitled.
12:32Look at me crazy cause I ain't invite you.
12:35Oh, you important.
12:36You the moral to the story.
12:37You endorsing, what the fuck?
12:38I don't even like you.
12:40Corrupted man's heart with a gift.
12:42That's how you find out who you're dealing with.
12:46Real tears back there.
12:48Wow.
12:51Ryan, Mike, that was incredibly generous of you both.
12:57Thank you, Ryan.
12:58I'm gonna get you.
13:00Really.
13:02I'll try not to get too overwhelmed up here.
13:04Essence, thank you for this incredible honor.
13:08I'm absolutely humbled to share space with all of you in this room tonight, or this afternoon,
13:13and to be named among the brilliant women who have received this recognition is such a surprise.
13:19And I have so much gratitude.
13:22I'm still in the infancy of my career and a student of my collaborators.
13:29But I am here today to accept this as my opportunity to thank my community who has championed and poured
13:37into me.
13:43Ryan and our business partner, Sev, for the audacious stories we mustered up the bravery to tell.
13:50I wouldn't have dared to imagine the life that I walk today could exist for someone like me.
13:58My mom is from a remote village in the Philippines and immigrated to Oakland in her 20s.
14:05My dad was born in 1931 in the south side of Chicago.
14:10And his parents migrated there from Mississippi, not far from where Sinners is set.
14:16Because Ryan and I met as teenagers, his parents also helped raise me.
14:25And the four of them modeled diligence, focus, empathy, patience, and love for our community.
14:32They were all extremely hard workers in humble blue-collar careers.
14:37But they saw hope in their children, invested in us, and told us to fly.
14:43Our parents were all creative.
14:45But because of the time and place they were born, they couldn't explore their artistry,
14:51but sacrificed so Ryan and I could.
15:01And that opened paths for us and the ability to try.
15:06It allowed us to pursue something uncertain.
15:09One of the things we wanted to explore in Sinners was the question of who these people might have been
15:15if they had been born in a different time.
15:18Who would Smoke, Stack, Annie, or Pearlene be today?
15:24To explore that question, I was blessed to work with such powerful storytellers,
15:31who I stand in front of right now.
15:33And artists, including the women I get to share the stage with today.
15:37Autumn Gerald Archipaugh, Hannah Buechler, Jamie Lawson, Ruth Carter, Shanika Terry Jennings, and Wumi Masaku.
15:50You are each so incredibly thoughtful, researched, dedicated to telling our stories
15:58that we have to share with respect to the full humanity of our people that is so often denied.
16:04To Chase, Carrie, LaTanya, it's amazing to be in celebration with all of you.
16:10I recognize that this industry can be lonely for us.
16:13But today we stand in community that is both deep and wide.
16:18There's space for all of us.
16:21Space in each lane we operate in.
16:24Your future contributions are so necessary.
16:27Your brilliance, your beauty, your joy and optimism is revolutionary.
16:33You each mirror for our community to see themselves.
16:36You are each a mirror for our community to see themselves.
16:39So thank you to everyone who has poured into us in big and small ways.
16:44It sustains me. It sustains us and our work.
16:47And thank you to the wider community of storytellers who are doing this now.
16:53It's up to us to be the protectors of our stories, to keep them from being altered, removed, or rewritten.
17:01It is how we stay connected to our ancestors, our elders, and our children.
17:08And to the audience who tuned in, thank you for showing up each and every time we dare to tell
17:14our stories.
17:27I speak on behalf of all the women behind Sinners when I say what an extraordinary honor it is to
17:34stand here today in a room filled with brilliance, excellence, sisterhood and legacy.
17:40To Essence, thank you for the way you continue to uplift, celebrate and protect black women.
17:48Your platform has long been a space where our stories are not only welcomed, but centered.
17:54And we are deeply grateful to be a part of this celebration.
18:00Sinners means many things to those of us who made it.
18:04And to those who experienced it in theaters.
18:07At its heart, it's a love letter to our culture, to our ancestors, to the families who raised us, and
18:16to the communities that shape us.
18:19It reflects the beauty that lives within our resilience, the creativity born from our struggles, and the way our stories
18:28continue to carry truth, spirit, and power across generations.
18:33This film has truly been the journey of a lifetime for all of us, both behind the camera in front
18:40of it.
18:40Excuse me, sorry.
18:45Oh, God.
18:54And that journey has been guided by the vision, courage, and deep cultural commitment of Zinzi and Ryan Coogler.
19:07Their leadership reminds us what it looks like when artists honor their responsibility to community.
19:14Their dedication to telling black stories with care, honesty, and ownership is something that continues to open doors for so
19:22many of us.
19:23We all know the path for women in this industry is not always easy.
19:28And for black women or women of color, that path can be even steeper.
19:33But when we make spaces like this so powerful is that we are reminded we are not walking it alone.
19:41And Zinzi and Ryan, thank you for your care, trust, your belief, and the belief you've, sorry, and belief you've
19:53shown this incredible group of women.
19:55Jamie, Ms. Ruth, Hannah, Autumn, Shanika, and myself.
20:00Being a part of this creative family has meant more than words can hold.
20:05And to Essence, thank you for shining a light, not only on our work, but on the community of women
20:11gathered in this room.
20:13To be recognized here among so many extraordinary women who continue to shape culture, lead with courage, and create space
20:23for those coming behind us.
20:24It truly means everything.
20:39You all have heard enough from me.
20:45I've got five nominations.
20:49And two wins with these up here.
20:54But I always said I never wanted to be alone in the celebration because it does take a collaboration to
21:05make this all possible.
21:07We have such a fine group of people up here that are dedicated to their craft.
21:13And when you can meet and align and belong together, it makes the magic come to life.
21:20And, you know, I'm just so proud of each and every one up here today.
21:25Can I have my remarks on the teleprompter, please?
21:28I was going to segue, but it doesn't look like I can.
21:37Yes, Zinzi has led us.
21:41You know, she's on set every day.
21:44And she's always this voice I can go to when Ryan and Autumn are in their zone.
21:53And I feel like I have nowhere to turn.
21:55I turn to Zinzi.
21:58And she gives me the answer.
22:00Shanika, Wumni, Jamie.
22:05Jamie and Wumni come into my fitting room and it's like a transformation.
22:09We transform.
22:11We talk about the importance of the character.
22:14We build it together.
22:16And then we present that camera to camera.
22:19Hannah and Autumn, I couldn't have just the most caring collaborators.
22:27Hannah, her intellect and her creativity is boundless.
22:33And Autumn has such an eye.
22:35She'll walk up to me on set and she'll say, you know, I love that costume right there.
22:42I'm going to set the camera there.
22:44So I, you know, I couldn't ask for more.
22:47I never want to be alone.
22:50And I was nominated for Malcolm X.
22:52And then I was nominated for Amistad.
22:55And then I was nominated for Black Panther.
22:58And then I was nominated for Wakanda Forget Other.
23:01But I was alone.
23:05We are shepherding 16 nominations.
23:15That's, that's history, y'all.
23:18That's history.
23:19And so I'm so proud of the Women of Sinners.
23:33To be continued.