‘Sinners’ Wins Top SAG Prize, Shakes Up Oscar Race

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners has tightened the race for the Academy Awards after clinching the top honour at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday.

The film won Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the newly- rebranded Actor Awards — a prize that recognises ensemble performance and is often seen as a bellwether for the Best Picture Oscar, though not always a decisive one.

Directed by Ryan Coogler, Sinners is a vampire fable exploring America’s troubled racial history. The film has surged through awards season, earning a record 16 Oscar nominations.

Accepting the award on behalf of the cast, Delroy Lindo, who portrays blues musician Delta Slim, praised the project’s significance.

“We brought our hearts, we brought our souls, we brought our spirits to this endeavor,” Lindo said. “This project is anointed. And from that standpoint, we are all anointed to be a part of this incredible journey created by the genius Ryan Coogler.”

Despite the SAG triumph, Sinners had previously missed out on major pre-Oscar wins, with Paul Thomas Anderson’s political thriller One Battle After Another dominating key ceremonies, including the Producers Guild Awards.

One Battle After Another stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a former revolutionary pulled back into action when his teenage daughter disappears.

Industry analysts caution that a SAG victory does not guarantee Oscar success. Scott Feinberg, awards columnist for The Hollywood Reporter, noted ahead of the gala that the SAG ensemble prize and the Academy’s Best Picture award often diverge.

Voting for the Academy Awards remains open until Thursday, meaning the SAG results could still influence final ballots.

In the acting categories, Michael B. Jordan delivered one of the night’s biggest surprises, winning Best Male Actor over season frontrunner Timothee Chalamet, who had dominated awards chatter for his role in Marty Supreme.

With just two weeks until Hollywood’s biggest night, the Oscar race appears more unpredictable than ever.