Ryan Coogler took home the top prize at the ceremony held in New York on Sunday, winning best original screenplay for “Sinners,” while director Paul Thomas Anderson won best adapted screenplay for “One Battle After Another,” beating Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, who was competing with “Frankenstein.”
The wins reaffirm both films as frontrunners for the 98th Academy Awards on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, where “Sinners” holds a record 16 nominations and “One Battle After Another” received 13.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s film won best film and best director at the BAFTA film awards on February 22. A big winner at the Golden Globes in January, “One Battle After Another” — starring Leonardo DiCaprio — also won best supporting actor (Sean Penn), best adapted screenplay, best cinematography and best editing. Also nominated in 13 categories, Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” won BAFTA awards for best supporting actress (Wunmi Mosaku), best original screenplay and best original score.
At Sunday’s ceremony, the writers also presented the Walter Bernstein Award to comedian Stephen Colbert for “creatively, elegantly and courageously demonstrating the will to confront social injustice in the face of adversity.” Colbert has made jokes about US president Donald Trump, who celebrated the cancellation of the comedian’s late-night talk show “The Late Show” by CBS. Some in Hollywood interpreted the decision as an attempt at censorship, though the network insists it was for financial reasons.
Read more about this topic: “Sinners” named film of the year and Michael B. Jordan wins Best Actor at the Actor Award
HBO medical drama “The Pitt” also featured at the ceremony, winning best drama series screenplay, best new series and best drama episode. Meanwhile, Apple TV+’s “The Studio” won best comedy series screenplay, awarded to star and writer Seth Rogen.
