When it comes to Ryan Coogler's artistry, fromBlack Pantherto his now-Oscar-winning film,Sinners, blink, and you'll miss the tiny, albeit important details. It's perhaps why the 2026 Oscars ceremony honored the film with a performance of the Club Juke montage featuring nods to music past and present. In keeping with the tribute theme, Coogler's sharp Oscars suit was anchored by a story told through his braids.
While accepting his first Oscar for Best Original Screenplay from presenters and actors Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, eagle-eyed fans spotted a guitar design woven into Coogler's stitched cornrows. And not just any guitar—one can guess it's a blues guitar, given the historical and musical climateSinnerswas rooted in. The film celebrated the preservation and reverence of Black art, and that includes Black hair as well. The braids were done by Coogler's go-to hairstylist, Tyzanna B, a Berkeley, California-based braider not too far from Coogler's own stomping grounds of Oakland, which he shouted out in his acceptance speech.
"Please sit down, I'm very nervous and they are going to play me off," Coogler said. "I grew up in Oakland, California, and we can talk a lot."
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Coogler thanked the Academy for recognizing the movie, which was released nearly a year ago. "I wanna thank my fellow nominees. I wanna thank y'all for the gifts that y'all movies were and for y'all's friendship over the past years and months," he continued.
Coogler's award wasn't the only oneSinnerstook home that night. Shortly after, the breakout film earned Michael B. Jordan his first Oscar as well, for Best Actor, a full-circle moment for the director-actor pair who first worked together on 2013'sFruitvale Station.
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