Set in 1993, the film follows estranged Street Fighters Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo), two warriors whose bromance-turned-rivalry gets reignited when the mysterious Chun-Li (Callina Liang) recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament. What follows, according to the trailer, is a bombastic flurry of Hadoukens, roundhouse kicks, slow-motion glares, questionable hair choices, and enough neon-splashed grit to power a late-night cable marathon.

But beneath the over-the-top action lies something deeper at least, that’s what the booming trailer voiceover wants us to believe. A deadly conspiracy looms over the tournament, one that threatens to pit Ryu and Ken not just against the world’s fiercest fighters, but also against each other. And if they fail? Well, as the trailer reminds us with all the subtlety of a button-mashing rookie: It’s GAME OVER.

Director Kitao Sakurai, best known for blending chaotic visuals with offbeat humor, seems determined to crank the dial past eleven. The trailer promises a film that’s aggressively stylized, tonally unhinged, and possiblycjust possibly aware of exactly what it is. This isn’t prestige cinema. This is arcade energy distilled into two hours of cinematic madness. And honestly? That might be its superpower.

Because let’s be real: Street Fighter movies have never been “good” in the traditional sense. They’ve been bonkers. They’ve been baffling. They’ve been brilliant in their own ridiculous way. From Raul Julia’s legendary “For me, it was Tuesday” moment to the live-action hurricanes that were past adaptations, the franchise has a long history of being so bad it’s iconic.

And this new trailer suggests that legacy is alive and well.

Big kicks. Big drama. Big nonsense. Big fun.

Street Fighter wants to drag us back to the arcade, dust off our nostalgia, and remind us why we fell in love with these characters in the first place flaws, camp, chaos, and all.

Whether it ends up a masterpiece or a magnificent train wreck, one thing’s for sure: we’ll all be lining up to watch the carnage unfold. Hadoukens ready.

Street Fighter premieres in theaters October 16th 2026.

The post ‘Street Fighter’ Trailer Drops And It Looks Like a Beautiful Disaster You Won’t Be Able to Resist appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

Directed by Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya, Cruella) and penned by screenwriter Ana Nogueira, Supergirl signals a shift toward character-driven storytelling within the evolving DC Studios slate. Alcock leads a powerhouse ensemble that includes Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, and Jason Momoa in a yet-to-be-revealed role sure to spark fan speculation.

The film is shepherded by DC Studios chiefs Peter Safran and James Gunn, with the story rooted in the legendary DC Comics mythology created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Nigel Gostelow, Chantal Nong Vo, and Lars P. Winther serve as executive producers.

Behind the camera, Gillespie brings together a stellar creative team:

• Director of Photography: Rob Hardy (Ex Machina)
• Production Designer: Neil Lamont (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story)
• Editor: Tatiana S. Riegel (Pam & Tommy)
• Costume Designer: Anna B. Sheppard (Schindler’s List)
• VFX Supervisor: Geoffrey Baumann (Black Panther)
• Composer: Ramin Djawadi (Game of Thrones, Westworld)

With this lineup, Supergirl is shaping up to be a visually striking, emotionally resonant entry into the DC cinematic universe.

Supergirl is a Troll Court Entertainment Production and a Safran Company Production, presented by DC Studios and directed by Craig Gillespie. The film opens in IMAX and theaters across North America on June 26, 2026, with international releases beginning June 24, 2026 via Warner Bros. Pictures.

The post Milly Alcock Takes Flight in DC Studios’ ‘Supergirl’, Soaring Into Theaters Summer 2026 appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

Among the most anticipated World Premieres is The Brittney Griner Story, directed by Alex Stapleton. The documentary explores the circumstances that led Griner to play basketball overseas despite being one of the greatest athletes in the sport, her wrongful detainment in Russia, and her relentless fight for freedom. The film also captures her evolution into a powerful advocate for other wrongfully detained individuals, positioning her story as both personal and political.

Music, obsession, and mythmaking take center stage in The Disciple, a World Premiere documentary following an outsider whose ambition propels him into the inner circle of the Wu-Tang Clan. The film chronicles the volatile intersection of raw creativity and industry politics as the making of an album threatens to spark global controversy.

Redemption unfolds behind prison walls in Frank & Louis, a World Premiere fiction film starring Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rob Morgan, René Pérez Joglar, Rosalind Eleazar, and Indira Varma. The story follows Frank, a man serving a life sentence who takes a job caring for aging inmates with Alzheimer’s and dementia. What begins as a calculated move toward parole transforms into a deeply human bond with a fellow inmate that reshapes his understanding of guilt, responsibility, and grace.

Black cinema nostalgia gets a celebratory revival with House Party, featuring the legendary cast of Tisha Campbell, Full Force, Robin Harris, A.J. Johnson, Martin Lawrence, and Kid ‘N Play. What begins as a simple decision to attend a party quickly spirals into what may be the wildest night of their lives reviving the spirit of one of the most beloved franchises in Black film history.

The supernatural collides with emotional realism in If I Go Will They Miss Me, directed by Walter Thompson-Hernández and starring Danielle Brooks and J. Alphonse Nicholson. The World Premiere fiction film follows 12-year-old Lil Ant, who begins to see surreal, spectral visions of boys drifting through his neighborhood. These visions unlock hidden connections between father and son while exposing deep ties between family, memory, and place. The film will also be available online for the public.

Time, science, and human hope converge in In the Blink of an Eye, the winner of the 2026 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize. Featuring Rashida Jones, Kate McKinnon, Daveed Diggs, Jorge Vargas, and Tanaya Beatty, the film interweaves three storylines across thousands of years, reflecting on connection, survival, and the cyclical nature of life itself.

Global Black political drama takes shape in Kikuyu Land, directed by Bea Wangondu. Set in Nairobi, the World Premiere follows a journalist probing a land dispute between local government forces and a powerful multinational corporation. As the investigation deepens, buried wounds and hidden family secrets emerge. The film will be available online for public viewing.

Nigeria commands the screen in LADY, directed by Olive Nwosu. Set in the sprawling metropolis of Lagos, the film follows a fiercely independent young cab driver whose life shifts after she encounters a group of reckless yet radiant sex workers. Their sisterhood pulls her into danger, joy, and ultimately a path toward personal transformation. The cast includes Jessica Gabriel’s Ujah, Amanda Oruh, Tinuade Jemiseye, Binta Ayo Mogaji, Seun Kuti, and Bucci Franklin. The film is also available online to the public.

Black history takes center stage in three major documentaries. Once Upon a Time in Harlem, directed by William Greaves and David Greaves, unveils what Greaves considered the most important event he ever captured on film: a 1972 gathering of living Harlem Renaissance legends, revealed a decade after his death. Soul Patrol, directed by J.M. Harper, uncovers a hidden chapter of American military history as the Vietnam War’s first Black special operations team reunites to confront trauma, memory, and long-delayed reckoning. And Troublemaker, directed by Antoine Fuqua, recounts the struggle against apartheid through Nelson Mandela’s own recorded voice as he wrote Long Walk to Freedom, creating an intimate portrait of resistance, leadership, and sacrifice.

Together, these films reflect not only artistic excellence but cultural urgency proving once again that Black cinema is a powerful archive of truth, survival, imagination, and liberation.

Here’s the full list below:

FEATURE FILMS

• The Brittney Griner Story – Explores the circumstances that led to Brittney Griner playing basketball outside the U.S. despite being one of the best players in the sport, including her harrowing detainment, unwavering determination to secure her freedom, and her advocacy for the release of other wrongful detainees. World Premiere. Documentary.

• THE DISCIPLE – An outsider fueled by relentless determination works his way into the inner circle of the Wu-Tang Clan, where his ambition and creativity converge in the making of an album poised to ignite global controversy. World Premiere. Documentary.

• Frank & Louis – Frank, serving a life sentence, takes a prison job caring for aging inmates with Alzheimer’s and dementia. What begins as a self-interested bid for parole becomes a profound, transformative bond with fellow inmate Louis.
  Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rob Morgan, René Pérez Joglar, Rosalind Eleazar, Indira Varma.
  World Premiere. Fiction.

• House Party – Kid decides to go to his friend Play’s house party, but neither of them can predict what’s in store for them on what could be the wildest night of their lives.
  Cast: Tisha Campbell, Full Force, Robin Harris, A.J. Johnson, Martin Lawrence, Kid ‘N Play.

• If I Go Will They Miss Me – Twelve-year-old Lil Ant struggles to connect with his father as surreal visions of drifting boys reveal links between family, legacy, and place.
  Cast: Danielle Brooks, J. Alphonse Nicholson.
  World Premiere. Fiction. Available online for public.

• In the Blink of an Eye – Three storylines spanning thousands of years intersect to reflect on hope, connection, and the circle of life.
  Cast: Rashida Jones, Kate McKinnon, Daveed Diggs, Jorge Vargas, Tanaya Beatty.
  World Premiere. Fiction. 2026 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize Winner.

• Kikuyu Land – A Nairobi journalist investigates a land battle between government forces and a powerful corporation as buried wounds and family secrets surface.
  World Premiere. Available online for public.

• LADY – In Lagos, a fiercely independent young cab driver meets a fearless group of sex workers whose sisterhood draws her into danger and personal transformation.
  Cast: Jessica Gabriel’s Ujah, Amanda Oruh, Tinuade Jemiseye, Binta Ayo Mogaji, Seun Kuti, Bucci Franklin.
  World Premiere. Available online for public.

• Once Upon a Time in Harlem – A decade after his death, filmmaker William Greaves reveals what he considered his most important footage: a 1972 gathering of Harlem Renaissance legends.
  World Premiere. Documentary.

• Soul Patrol – The Vietnam War’s first Black special operations team reunites to reveal a hidden chapter of American military history.
  World Premiere. Available online for public.

• Troublemaker – The fight against apartheid is recounted through Nelson Mandela’s own voice, recorded while writing Long Walk to Freedom.
  World Premiere. Documentary.

• When A Witness Recants / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Dawn Porter, Producers: Miriam Weintraub, Jennifer Oko) — In 1983, author Ta-Nehisi Coates learned that a 14-year-old boy was murdered in his Baltimore middle school. Upon revisiting the case, he uncovers the truth: Three innocent teenagers were wrongfully convicted and spent 36 years in prison — creating a lasting impact on the accused, the witnesses, and their community. World Premiere. Documentary.

FILMMAKERS

• Alex Stapleton – The Brittney Griner Story
• William Greaves – Once Upon a Time in Harlem
• David Greaves – Once Upon a Time in Harlem
• Antoine Fuqua – Troublemaker
• Dawn Porter – When a Witness Recants
• J.M. Harper – Soul Patrol
• Bea Wangondu – Kikuyu Land
• Olive Nwosu – LADY
• Walter Thompson-Hernández – If I Go Will They Miss Me

The post Need To Know What Black Films Are Playing At Sundance 2026? We Got You Covered! appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) has officially announced the winners of its 17th Annual AAFCA Awards, and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is the clear frontrunner of the year. With wins across major categories including Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Writing, Best Ensemble, and Best Music the Warner Bros. powerhouse film made an indelible mark on this year’s awards season.

The ceremony will take place on February 8, 2026, at the luxurious Maybourne Beverly Hills in Beverly Hills, California, where the year’s most impactful voices in film will be celebrated.

AAFCA president and co-founder Gil Robertson emphasized the importance of this year’s honorees in the official announcement:

“The cinematic voices recognized this year remind us of the power of film to challenge, inspire, and unite. From bold new visions to unforgettable performances, these winners represent storytellers who are pushing the art form forward while speaking to the moment we are living in.”

Sinners Sweeps the Major Categories

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners proved to be the night’s biggest success story. Michael B. Jordan took home Best Actor, while Wunmi Mosaku earned Best Supporting Actress for her acclaimed performance. Coogler also secured both Best Director and Best Writing, reinforcing his continued dominance as one of the most influential filmmakers of his generation.

Adding to the film’s triumph, newcomer Miles Caton received Emerging Face (Actor), and legendary composer Ludwig Göransson won Best Music, further solidifying Sinners as a cultural and cinematic force.

Beyond Sinners, the AAFCA also recognized exceptional talent across genres:

• Tessa Thompson was awarded Best Actress for her work in Hedda (Amazon MGM).
• Damson Idris won Best Supporting Actor for his role in the adrenaline-fueled F1 (Apple/Warner Bros.).
• Netflix took home major animation honors with Best Animated Feature going to KPop Demon Hunters.
• Documentary honors went to The Perfect Neighbor (Best Documentary) and Hoops, Hopes & Dreams (Best Documentary Short).

AAFCA’s Top 10 Films of the Year

This year’s Top 10 list highlights the range and depth of modern filmmaking:

1. Sinners (Warner Bros.)
2. One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
3. Hedda (Amazon MGM)
4. Frankenstein (Netflix)
5. Hamnet (Focus Features)
6. Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
7. F1 (Apple/Warner Bros.)
8. One of Them Days (Sony Pictures Releasing)
9. The Knife (Relativity Media)
10. The Smashing Machine (A24)

With more than 100 AAFCA members selecting this year’s winners, the awards continue to reflect a collective commitment to celebrating Black excellence and diverse storytelling across the global film landscape. Additional special achievement honorees will be announced at a later date.

As awards season continues to unfold, Sinners has clearly emerged as one of the year’s most celebrated and influential films setting a high bar for the rest of the industry.

The post ‘Sinners’ Dominates the 17th Annual AAFCA Awards with Major Wins Across the Board appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

Erivo earned her nomination for Wicked: For Good, continuing her triumphant run as Elphaba while helping propel the film into multiple top categories, including Cinematic and Box Office Achievement and Best Original Song. Her historic recognition is not only a personal milestone but a long-overdue moment of industry acknowledgment for Black women leading large-scale musical productions.

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners proved to be one of the most dominant contenders this year, earning a total of seven Golden Globe nominations, including:

• Best Motion Picture – Drama
• Cinematic and Box Office Achievement
• Best Actor – Drama (Michael B. Jordan)
• Best Director (Ryan Coogler)
• Best Screenplay (Ryan Coogler)
• Best Original Score (Ludwig Göransson)
• Best Original Song (“I Lied to You”)

The film’s fusion of genre, social commentary, and emotional weight has clearly resonated with voters, positioning Sinners as one of the awards season’s most formidable contenders.

The Best Motion Picture – Drama category includes:

• Frankenstein (Netflix)
• Hamnet (Focus Features)
• It Was Just an Accident (NEON)
• The Secret Agent (NEON)
• Sentimental Value (NEON)
• Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)

In Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, bold entries like Bugonia, Marty Supreme, and Nouvelle Vague face off against Warner Bros.’ One Battle After Another and Netflix’s Blue Moon.

Animated features also make a powerful showing, with contenders like Zootopia 2, Elio, and KPOP Demon Hunters highlighting animation’s growing narrative ambition.

The Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category reflects true blockbuster power with titles like Avatar: Fire and Ash, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Wicked: For Good, and Sinners leading the charge.

Acting races are especially fierce this year. Drama nominees include Michael B. Jordan, Oscar Isaac, Tessa Thompson, Julia Roberts, and Eva Victor. On the comedy and musical side, alongside Cynthia Erivo, nominees include Emma Stone, Kate Hudson, Timothée Chalamet, and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Supporting categories spotlight a dynamic mix of veterans and breakout stars, with nominees such as Ariana Grande, Teyana Taylor, Jacob Elordi, Paul Mescal, and Adam Sandler.

Television nominees reflect a stacked year, with The White Lotus, The Bear, Abbott Elementary, Severance, and Only Murders in the Building dominating their respective categories. Acting nominees include Sterling K. Brown, Ayo Edebiri, Jean Smart, Jeremy Allen White, Natasha Lyonne, and Rhea Seehorn, ensuring some of the most competitive TV races in recent memory.

With Cynthia Erivo’s history-making nomination, Sinners emerging as a seven-time nominee, and a global slate that stretches from Tunisia to South Korea to Hollywood’s biggest soundstages, this year’s Golden Globe nominations signal a powerful shift toward inclusive storytelling, genre innovation, and bold creative vision. Awards night is shaping up to be one for the history books.

The post Cynthia Erivo Makes Golden Globes History as ‘Sinners’ Dominates with Seven Nominations appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

From the film’s very first moments, Mosaku seizes the audience’s attention with a riveting opening monologue that sets both the thematic and emotional tone for the story. Her delivery is measured yet intense, restrained yet overflowing with lived experience and immediately signals that Sinners will be a film rooted in human pain, redemption, and the blurry moral terrain between them.

The monologue operates not just as exposition but also as invocation. She speaks with the cadence of someone who has endured, someone who has witnessed too much and survived it. In doing so, she becomes the voice of the film’s conscience. It’s rare that a single scene establishes so much, but Mosaku’s skill ensures the audience is spiritually tethered to her character from the start.

Throughout Sinners, Mosaku’s character evolves into a guiding presence, like a kind of savior for multiple characters who are spiraling through moral dilemmas, personal loss, and inner conflict. Though the film is packed with standout performances, hers is the one that consistently anchors the emotional rhythm. She offers refuge, truth, and clarity in scenes where characters confront their darkest moments. What makes her “savior” role so compelling is that Mosaku never plays it with saintly detachment; instead, she imbues her character with weariness, flawed compassion, and a deep sense of humanity. In fact, her saving grace is not perfection but understanding which makes her impact on the ensemble even more profound.

Mosaku’s artistry becomes even more evident when looking at her broader body of work. Whether it’s in His House, Lovecraft Country, or We Own This City, she has proven her ability to move seamlessly between genres while maintaining emotional authenticity. In His House, she delivered a devastatingly layered portrayal of trauma and guilt, demonstrating her capacity for raw psychological depth. In Lovecraft Country, she shifted into something more operatic and genre-bending, delivering a powerhouse arc that ranged from rage to transcendence. Even in smaller roles across her filmography, Mosaku brings a steadiness that commands attention without ever overshadowing the story.

What ties all these performances together is Mosaku’s remarkable control. She understands how to build a character from the inside out, focusing on interiority, emotional truth, and the subtle physical shifts that make a portrayal feel lived in. In Sinners, all of these strengths converge. It is a culmination of her range, technique, and empathy as a performer.

With a career defined by consistency and a performance in Sinners defined by emotional magnitude, Wunmi Mosaku stands as one of the most deserving contenders of the awards season. A supporting actress whose work elevates the entire film around her.

The post Why Wunmi Mosaku Is a Standout Contender for Best Supporting Actress for ‘Sinners’ appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

In this world, the things that go bump in the night aren’t urban legends or shadowy secrets they’re actually running Memphis. Vampires, demons, and creatures pulled straight from the dark corners of folklore live openly in the city, held in check only by a fragile set of supernatural laws known as the Accords. Those rules are the thin line between order and utter chaos, and one man stands at the center of that balance: Kellan Hart.

Kellan is the last living member of a family famous for monster hunters and demon slayers, but instead of carrying on the tradition, he’s carved his own path. He’s a fixer, a negotiator, and now the newly minted rules keeper responsible for maintaining peace among the supernatural. His job? Make sure the monsters behave and if they don’t, make sure they understand exactly why the rules exist.

Issue #1 wastes no time establishing what’s at stake. As Kellan begins his rounds, checking in on the power players that make up Memphis’ supernatural hierarchy, a chilling crisis begins to take shape. Children are disappearing, and the evidence hints at a vampire bold (or foolish) enough to violate the Accords. Kidnapping innocents is a line no one is allowed to cross, and Kellan knows that if he doesn’t find the culprit fast, the entire city could erupt into violence.

The debut issue promises a grounded, character-driven mystery wrapped in sharp dialogue, Southern gothic atmosphere, and the kind of worldbuilding Carothers’ fans have come to love. It’s a story steeped in tension and moral complexity, positioning Kellan as an unlikely guardian trying to keep a city of monsters from tearing itself and the human world apart.

For readers craving a supernatural thriller with heart, humor, and a distinctly Memphis flavor, this series is definitely one to read. Keep an eye out for Issue #1 when it arrives on GlobalComix December 10th, and stay tuned because if this opening chapter is any indication, Kellan Hart’s journey is just getting started.

The post Memphis Has a New Monster Keeper: Ernie Carothers Unleashes ‘Hart Of Darkness’ appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is leading the pack with a jaw-dropping 17 Critics Choice Award nominations coming within a breath of Barbie’s record-setting 18 just two years ago. The Southern Gothic epic has clearly struck a chord with critics, landing a coveted Best Picture nomination and earning recognition across nearly every major craft category.

Michael B. Jordan continues his awards-season momentum with a nomination for Best Actor, while Wunmi Mosaku — already a standout this season — is nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Rising talent Miles Caton rounds out the acting honors with a nod for Best Young Actor/Actress, signaling an exciting new name to watch. Coogler himself scored nominations for both Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, further cementing Sinners as a creative triumph.

The film’s technical and artistic achievements also received wide acclaim, with nominations for Best Casting and Ensemble, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Hair and Makeup, Best Visual Effects, Best Stunt Design, Best Song, Best Score, and Best Sound. In short: Sinners didn’t just show up it swept the ballot.

Right behind it is One Battle After Another, earning an impressive 14 nominations and proving this year’s film race is packed with heavy hitters.

For the full list of nomination see below:

BEST PICTURE

Bugonia (Focus Features)

Frankenstein (Netflix)

Hamnet (Focus Features)

Jay Kelly (Netflix)

Marty Supreme (A24)

One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Sentimental Value (Neon)

Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Train Dreams (Netflix)

Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)

BEST ACTOR

Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme (A24)

Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams (Netflix)

Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)

Michael B. Jordan – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent (Neon)

BEST ACTRESS  

Jessie Buckley – Hamnet (Focus Features)

Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (A24)

Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value (Neon)

Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee (Searchlight Pictures)

Emma Stone – Bugonia (Focus Features)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein (Netflix)

Paul Mescal – Hamnet (Focus Features)

Sean Penn – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly (Netflix)

Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value (Neon)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value (Neon)

Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value (Neon)

Amy Madigan – Weapons (Warner Bros.)

Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

BEST YOUNG ACTOR / ACTRESS

Everett Blunck – The Plague (Independent Film Company)

Miles Caton – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Cary Christopher – Weapons (Warner Bros.)

Shannon Mahina Gorman – Rental Family (Searchlight Pictures)

Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet (Focus Features)

Nina Ye – Left-Handed Girl (Netflix)

BEST DIRECTOR

Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Ryan Coogler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein (Netflix)

Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (A24)

Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value (Neon)

Chloé Zhao – Hamnet (Focus Features)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY  

Noah Baumbach, Emily Mortimer – Jay Kelly (Netflix)

Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (A24)

Ryan Coogler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Zach Cregger – Weapons (Warner Bros.)

Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby (A24)

Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value (Neon)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY  

Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar – Train Dreams (Netflix)

Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don Mckellar, Jahye Lee – No Other Choice (Neon)

Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein (Netflix)

Will Tracy – Bugonia (Focus Features)

Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell – Hamnet (Focus Features)

BEST CASTING AND ENSEMBLE

Nina Gold – Hamnet (Focus Features)

Douglas Aibel, Nina Gold – Jay Kelly (Netflix)

Jennifer Venditti – Marty Supreme (A24)

Cassandra Kulukundis – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Francine Maisler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Claudio Miranda – F1 (Apple Original Films)

Dan Laustsen – Frankenstein (Netflix)

Łukasz Żal – Hamnet (Focus Features)

Michael Bauman – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Autumn Durald Arkapaw – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams (Netflix)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Kasra Farahani, Jille Azis – The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Marvel Studios)

Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau – Frankenstein (Netflix)

Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton – Hamnet (Focus Features)

Jack Fisk, Adam Willis – Marty Supreme (A24)

Hannah Beachler, Monique Champagne – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)

BEST EDITING

Kirk Baxter – A House of Dynamite (Netflix)

Stephen Mirrione – F1 (Apple Original Films)

Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (A24)

Andy Jurgensen – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Viridiana Lieberman – The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)

Michael P. Shawver – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Kate Hawley – Frankenstein (Netflix)

Malgosia Turzanska – Hamnet (Focus Features)

Lindsay Pugh – Hedda (Amazon MGM Studios)

Colleen Atwood, Christine Cantella – Kiss of the Spider Woman (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions)

Ruth E. Carter – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Paul Tazewell – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)

BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP

Flora Moody, John Nolan – 28 Years Later (Sony Pictures)

Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey – Frankenstein (Netflix)

Siân Richards, Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine, Shunika Terry – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Kazu Hiro, Felix Fox, Mia Neal – The Smashing Machine (A24)

Leo Satkovich, Melizah Wheat, Jason Collins – Weapons (Warner Bros.)

Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier, Laura Blount – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett – Avatar: Fire and Ash (20th Century Studios)

Ryan Tudhope, Nikeah Forde, Robert Harrington, Nicolas Chevallier, Eric Leven, Edward Price, Keith Dawson – F1 (Apple Original Films)

Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess, Ivan Busquets, José Granell – Frankenstein (Netflix)

Alex Wuttke, Ian Lowe, Jeff Sutherland, Kirstin Hall – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount Pictures)

Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, Donnie Dean – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Stephane Ceretti, Enrico Damm, Stéphane Nazé, Guy Williams – Superman (Warner Bros.)

BEST STUNT DESIGN  

Stephen Dunlevy, Kyle Gardiner, Jackson Spidell, Jeremy Marinas, Jan Petřina, Domonkos Párdányi, Kinga Kósa-Gavalda – Ballerina (Lionsgate)

Gary Powell, Luciano Bacheta, Craig Dolby – F1 (Apple Original Films)

Wade Eastwood – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount Pictures)

Brian Machleit – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Andy Gill – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Giedrius Nagys – Warfare (A24)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE  

Arco (Neon)

Elio (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

In Your Dreams (Netflix)

KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (GKIDS)

Zootopia 2 (Walt Disney Animation Studios)

BEST COMEDY  

The Ballad of Wallis Island (Focus Features)

Eternity (A24)

Friendship (A24)

The Naked Gun (Paramount)

The Phoenician Scheme (Focus Features)

Splitsville (Neon)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

It Was Just an Accident (Neon)

Left-Handed Girl (Netflix)

No Other Choice (Neon)

The Secret Agent (Neon)

Sirāt (Neon)

Belén (Amazon MGM Studios)

BEST SONG  

“Drive” – Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, Blake Slatkin – F1 (Apple Original Films)

“Golden” – Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24, Teddy – KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)

“I Lied to You” – Raphael Saadiq, Ludwig Göransson – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

“Clothed by the Sun” – Daniel Blumberg – The Testament of Ann Lee (Searchlight Pictures)
“Train Dreams” – Nick Cave, Bryce Dessner – Train Dreams (Netflix)

“The Girl in the Bubble” – Stephen Schwartz – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)

BEST SCORE  

Hans Zimmer – F1 (Apple Original Films)

Alexandre Desplat – Frankenstein (Netflix)

Max Richter – Hamnet (Focus Features)

Daniel Lopatin – Marty Supreme (A24)

Jonny Greenwood – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Ludwig Göransson – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

BEST SOUND  

Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta, Gareth John – F1 (Apple Original Films)

Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern, Greg Chapman – Frankenstein (Netflix)

Jose Antonio Garcia, Christopher Scarabosio, Tony Villaflor – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Chris Welcker, Benny Burtt, Brandon Proctor, Steve Boeddeker, Felipe Pacheco, David V. Butler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Laia Casanovas – Sirāt (Neon)

Mitch Low, Glenn Freemantle, Ben Barker, Howard Bargroff, Richard Spooner – Warfare (A24)

On the TV side, Adolescence leads the nominations with six, including Best Limited Series. Stephen Graham earned a nod for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television, while castmates Owen Cooper and Ashley Walters both secured nominations for Best Supporting Actor. Erin Doherty and Christine Tremarco rounded out the recognition with nominations for Best Supporting Actress. Nobody Wants This also emerged as a top contender, scoring five nominations.

Critics Choice Association CEO Joey Berlin celebrated the announcement, emphasizing the excitement of kicking off the 2026 awards season:
“Our voters are the critics and entertainment reporters who help audiences find the best of the best every day. Their collective opinions are the most informed and reliable in the business.”

The 2026 Critics Choice Awards will take place January 4th, bringing together stars from film, TV, and streaming for one of the season’s biggest nights. And if today’s nomination tally is any indication, Sinners is the one to beat.

And yes, Chelsea Handler is back to host for the fourth year in a row, bringing her signature wit to one of awards season’s biggest nights.

With nearly 575 voting members, the Critics Choice Awards have become a reliable pulse check for what’s resonating across Hollywood. It’s the kind of ceremony that often mirrors broader industry momentum, spotlighting the films and series that keep critics talking and fans tuning in.

The post ‘Sinners’ Leads the Critics Choice Awards with 17 Nominations appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

To understand why this blew up, it helps to know what Pantone actually is. Pantone is an international color authority best known for creating the Pantone Matching System (PMS), a standardized guide that ensures designers, printers, and manufacturers across the globe can accurately reproduce specific hues. When Pantone names its Color of the Year or highlights an annual palette, it directly influences product design, seasonal trends, and cultural aesthetics. From runway collections to home decor to tech accessories.

This year’s Pantone palette leaned into soft neutrals and airy pastels. At first glance, the selections seemed harmless enough. There were serene shades meant to evoke calm during a period of global uncertainty. But the inclusion of Cloud Dancer, a near-white tone, triggered instant backlash. For many online, the issue wasn’t the color itself but the context around it and the broader implications of choosing a nearly white shade as a dominant visual theme in a moment when conversations about inclusion in fashion and design are more present than ever.

Threads users specifically pointed out that Pantone’s description of Cloud Dancer as a color embodying “purity,” “renewal,” and “lightness” hit an uncomfortable nerve. Commenters argued that the language echoed long-standing associations between whiteness and virtue while positioning darker tones as less desirable or less aspirational. Some designers of color noted that industry trends already skew heavily toward aesthetics coded as Eurocentric, and this palette felt like a continuation of that bias.

The memes came quickly and hilariously, depending on who you ask.

But the meme economy also exposed a deeper tension about race and privilege. Some jokes leaned into stereotypes or dismissed the criticism with a flippant “it’s just a color,” which many felt ignored legitimate concerns about how whiteness is often centered in visual culture.

Pantone hasn’t issued an official response to the controversy, but the conversation has already reshaped how influencers, brands, and creatives think about color trend forecasting. The uproar surrounding Cloud Dancer proves once again that color is never just visual but it’s cultural, political, and personal. And in 2025, people are demanding palettes that reflect the full spectrum of lived experiences, not just the lightest parts of it.

The post Pantone’s 2025 Color Drama: Why “Cloud Dancer” Ignited a Heated Conversation appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

Lindo understands that audiences often approach a Ryan Coogler project with superhero-era assumptions, an expectation shaped heavily by Coogler’s work on Black Panther and Wakanda Forever. But from the beginning of Sinners, Lindo knew Coogler was reaching into different territory entirely. This wasn’t about vibranium or world-saving stakes; this was about the intersections of horror, folklore, spirituality, and the blues all converging in a film that refuses a neat genre label.

“I was hoping that audiences… would not be expecting Black Panther 3,” Lindo says. “Because I knew that Ryan was traversing the areas between genre, as in, you know, horror or vampire. But I also was very clear that he was telling a much larger story, and I was hoping that audiences would plug into that, the larger themes, and that has proven to be the case.”

What “larger themes” means is left open for audiences to interpret — trauma, legacy, the haunting nature of American history — but the invitation is deliberate. Lindo approached the role knowing that Sinners is as grounded in the humanities as it is in the supernatural. And in doing so, he offers a deeply human anchor for a film in constant dialogue with the past.

For Lindo, Delta Slim is a continuation of a path he’s been walking for years. He sees a clear throughline from his electrifying role as Paul in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods to the layered, internal complexity of Delta Slim.

“This current trajectory that I’m on is very much connected to, indirectly, Da 5 Bloods and the work that I did in that film,” he explains. “In terms of spheres of achievement, there is a connection… between Paul in 5 Bloods and Delta Slim in Sinners in terms of how I have applied myself creatively and how… what work has come about as a result of that.”

Audiences who recall his performance in Da 5 Bloods which was a raw, unguarded portrayal of a fractured veteran, can feel this connection immediately. Paul was a man screaming at the world. Delta Slim is his inverse: a man who holds worlds inside of him, sometimes wordlessly. Both require Lindo to reach into the depths of character psychology, but this time, he’s doing it through silence, music, and aura.

What’s striking about Lindo’s performance is not how much he says, but how much he communicates without saying anything at all. This was intentional.

“What I did focus on was presenting as multi-layered a human being as I could,” he says, reflecting on his early process for shaping Delta Slim. Silence becomes a language, a form of biography, and a method of character revelation. Instead of relying on exposition, Lindo let body language, stillness, and subtle emotional shifts speak for him.

It was essential to Lindo that audiences sense the entire life behind Delta Slim. His griefs, his joys, his contradictions. Even when the script didn’t require him to voice them. “I tried to fill in as much biographical information, and have that be present even when I was not speaking,” he says.

This technique makes the performance feel lived-in and deeply real. It also positions Delta Slim as a vessel for a cultural and emotional lineage that extends beyond the narrative of the film.

To embody a blues musician with authenticity, Lindo understood that research wasn’t enough. Emotional osmosis was required.

Ryan Coogler sent him two books to guide his entry point: Deep Blues by Robert Palmer and Blues People by Amiri Baraka (then known as LeRoi Jones). “I read those books,” Lindo shares. “That gave me a solid intro into the world of blues musicians… the practitioners of this incredible art form.”

But the reading was only the beginning. Lindo immersed himself in the music and the musicians who shaped the tradition: Son House, Muddy Waters, Ike Turner, Howlin’ Wolf, and others whose voices carried suffering, ecstasy, rebellion, and truth.

He listened not just to their songs but to their interviews — studying the way they walked, held themselves, and spoke. “One gets a sense of their lives and their lifestyles… how they are as human beings, how they carry themselves through the world,” he says.

From this constant intake of sound, story, and presence, he began crafting the internal life of Delta Slim. The role became a composite of historical echoes and personal intuition; a bluesman haunted not by demons, but by truth.

Through an almost spiritual fusion of research, embodiment, and imaginative biography, Lindo sought to ensure Delta Slim emerged not as a blues caricature, but as a “particular human being” with a full and complicated interior world.

Ultimately, Lindo’s portrayal stands as a reminder of the power of character work grounded in history and lived experience. Through silence, lineage, and the soul of the blues, he shapes a character who feels both timeless and startlingly present.

As audiences continue to discover Sinners, Lindo’s Delta Slim becomes more than a role, he becomes a testament to the cultural memory embedded within Black American art and to the enduring power of storytelling across generations.

The post Delroy Lindo on Crafting Delta Slim, Navigating Genre, and the Spiritual Lineage from ‘Da 5 Bloods’ to ‘Sinners’ appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.