The ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood honorees behind one of the most Oscar-nominated films in history are opening up about the cultural force of the project and the visionary leadership of producer Zinzi Coogler. For more than 15 years, Zinzi has played an integral role in bringing the work of her husband, filmmaker Ryan Coogler, to life, dating back to his 2009 short film Locks, where she served as first assistant director.
A former ASL interpreter who majored in communicative disorders and deaf studies, Zinzi has infused each production with a deeply rooted sense of purpose and perspective. From serving as executive producer on Judas and the Black Messiah to Creed III, she has helped shape impactful storytelling through Proximity Media the production company she co-founded with Ryan and Sev Ohanian.
Reflecting on the ancestral inspirations woven throughout their latest work, the Oakland native shared that she imagined the lives of those who came before her in ways that felt both authentic and expansive. That reverence is evident in the layered performances of Michael B. Jordan’s Smokestack twins, Elias and Elijah Moore; Delroy Lindo’s Delta Slim; Miles Caton’s preacher boy; Wunmi Mosaku’s hoodoo priestess Annie; and Jayme Lawson’s Pearline.
Zinzi explains that while she grew up hearing stories about sharecroppers in the South, stepping into those imagined landscapes deepened her connection to their resilience, creativity, and sacrifices. It strengthened her sense of responsibility to honor their narratives and ensure those stories continue to be told with care and integrity.
Raised by artist parents, creativity has always been second nature to her. She views her transition from ASL interpreter to producer not as a departure, but as an evolution. The through line, she says, is community. Much like interpreting, filmmaking is about connection and advocacy but on a broader scale. While her work as an interpreter was personally profound, she believes storytelling through film allows her to amplify that advocacy in a way that can reach and impact millions.
Sinners is undeniably the most impactful film of 2025, with nearly $400 million in box office receipts, a record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations and a rare ownership deal, which gives Ryan the rights to the Warner Bros. movie after 25 years. Its distinctive visual format also made director of photography, Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the first female cinematographer to shoot on Imax 65mm film and the first woman of color to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
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ZINZI COOGLER IS THE VISIONARY BEHIND THE BLOCKBUSTER FILM, SINNERS. DRESS: TALLER MARMO.
ESSENCE: Zinzi, how has the Oscar campaign and being one of the faces of this film challenged you? Do you see yourself stepping into the forefront more going forward?
COOGLER: The biggest challenge is balancing time away from my kids. Ryan and I are not based in L.A., so we travel a lot to participate in what we’ve been invited to. I am also an introvert and extremely shy, so I prefer not to be in the spotlight. I do not see this as a regular occurrence because I am most comfortable behind the scenes. But at the same time I am filled with so much gratitude for being thought of, included, and for all the opportunities I’ve had over the past few months to support our cast and crew and to share this experience with them. I have had the privilege of getting the best seat in the house to see how their collective work on this film has made an impact on audiences. It’s an honor to share this journey with them and to celebrate those contributions.
Zinzi Coogler
Makeup: Janice Kinjo for Made Artists Agency using Too Faced (@janicekinjo)
Hair: Marcia Hamilton (@marciahamiltonhair)
Stylist: Jason Bolden
Styling Assistant: Kelsey Douglas (@kdougieeee)
The Cast of Sinners
JAYME LAWSON. DRESS: VALDRIN SAAHITI SHOES: ROGER VIVIER.
ESSENCE: Jayme, having appeared in an Off-Broadway production of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf early in your career, how did it feel to be working alongside so many Black women above and below the line again for this film?
LAWSON: It felt incredible. Affirming. Safe. When I decided to do For Colored Girls, I was fresh out of college and passed on a few studio movies to do so. The main reason was knowing how rare it is to be surrounded by your sisters at work. So, years later, to be alongside so many Black women again on all sides of the camera for a film of this magnitude, it feels like a total affirmation of the choice I made 8 years ago, and of all the choices I am to make again. And hopefully what was once rare, becomes a norm.
Jayme Lawson
Makeup: Mila Thomas
Hair: Dharius (@dhairiusnyc)
Assistant: Heather Borah (@heather_borah)
Stylist: Jason Rembert (@jasonrembert)
WUNMI MOSAKU. DRESS: HERVE LEGER SHOES: CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN JEWELRY: POMELLATO FUR SHAWL: TODD FISHER
ESSENCE: As a first-time mom with a newborn during filming, what was it like watching another working mother be in control on set, Wunmi?
WUNMI MOSAKU: Incredibly inspirational. Not only was it [Zinzi] and Ryan making the set welcoming to kids and family, but also just seeing her doing it made me know I could too. She is such a sensitive producer, and I wasn’t sure if it was just because I was a mum that I was getting this treatment, but I soon realized she treated everyone the same and really made sure we felt seen and heard.
ESSENCE: Wunmi, how did the wardrobe and makeup/hairstyling help you lean into the beauty and essence of who Annie is?
MOSAKU: The way Ms. Ruth works is such a layered process that I liken to the Michelangelo quote: “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there; I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” I felt like we started with so many ideas and layers and chiseled away down to her core, and in that process of chiseling, I found her. She became clearer and clearer the more we took away. Annie’s hair felt really organic using a reference picture of the era. One woman really stood out to us, and she became the basis of where we began with Annie.
Wunmi Mosaku
Makeup: U.Z.O (@u.z.o)
Hair: Araxi Lindsey (@iamaraxilindsey)
Stylist: Shameela Hicks
HANNAH BEACHLER DRESS: BALENCIAGA SHOES: CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN.
ESSENCE: Hannah, the set design so realistically places audiences into this world. Which set is your favorite and why?
HANNAH BEACHLER: That’s a hard one. I love Annie’s store, but I love the church as well. I think Annie’s store, for me, was really this mystical place that delved into the spiritual, but she was also a cook and someone the community would go to for healing and nurturing. So, it was a lot of fun to dig into what that could be and how to create her world. The church was special because I wanted it to both look and feel grand while remaining simple and small, and that was a fun challenge to create that juxtaposition.
Hannah Beachler
Makeup: Autumn Moultrie (@autumnmoultriebeauty)
Hair: Kim Kimble (@kimblehaircare)
Stylist: Tanja Caldwell (@fresh2impress)
SHUNKIA TERRY-JENNINGS. DRESS: CUSTOM BEADED GOWN (VIA STYLE PR) FEATHER CAPE: LEVER COUTURE (VIA ALBRIGHT FASHION LIBRARY) SHOES: JIMMY CHOO.
ESSENCE: Shunika, what was most important to you, Ryan and Zinzi when it came to crafting the hair for Wunmi and Jayme’s characters, Annie and Pearline, in particular?
SHUNIKA TERRY-JENNINGS: Truth and cultural specificity. The hair had to feel like it belonged to these women, to their environment and to their lived experiences in the 1930s Mississippi Delta. Nothing could feel styled for camera. It had to feel lived in, rooted and intentional. For Annie, authenticity was everything. She is a sharecropper, but she carries dignity and pride. We focused on detailed partings and allowing her natural texture to speak, honoring the working Black women of that era who maintained beauty and order despite harsh conditions. Her hair needed to reflect strength, humility and community.
For Pearline, the conversation shifted to economics and aspiration. Her life was different. We used a wig to transform Jayme and carefully blended her hairline for realism, because believability was key. Pearline’s hair, paired with her hats and wardrobe, subtly communicated status. She took pride in refinement. At the core, what mattered most was that the hair helped define identity, class and spirit without ever distracting from performance. It had to support the story and honor the culture.
Shunika
Makeup: Camille Ariane for Exclusive Artists using Ardell Lashes (@camillearianemakeup)
Hair: SherriAnn Cole (@therealritabee)
Stylist: Tanja Caldwell (@fresh2impress)
AUTUMN DURALD ARKAPOW. DRESS: ARCHIVE SS2017 ZAC POSEN (VIA ALBRIGHT FASHION LIBRARY) CROPPED BLAZER: LAQUAN SMITH FW 2023 (VIA ALBRIGHT FASHION LIBRARY). SHOES: GIANVITO ROSSI.
ESSENCE: How unique of an experience was it for all of you to work with so many Black women leading their various departments on this film? How did that enhance your work?
AUTUMN DURALD ARKAPAW: When you step on set and you see yourself reflected in those around you it gives you the trust and strength to conquer anything. Ryan has done a beautiful job of supporting the women around him, so much that it’s changing the landscape of film as a whole. He believes in us and he gives us the space to lead, create and have a collective voice.
Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Makeup: Camille Ariane (@camillearianemakeup)
Hair: SherriAnn Cole (@therealritabee)
Stylist: Tanja Caldwell (@fresh2impress)
That spirit of reverence and intention was unmistakable on set. Legendary costume designer Ruth E. Carter now the most-nominated Black woman in Oscar history, with her fifth costume design nomination for Sinners and already a two-time Academy Award winner shared heartfelt praise for Black Women in Hollywood honoree Zinzi Coogler.
“Zinzi’s name means abundance growth, multiplication and that meaning truly reflects who she is,” Carter expressed. “She embodies abundance in action. She expands what’s possible. For our filmmaking family, and especially for Ryan, she serves as both a compass and a confidante. She always knows where the finish line is, yet she refuses to let us grow comfortable there. Just when we think we’ve reached it, she stretches the vision even further challenging us to think bigger, dig deeper, and create with even greater purpose and impact.”
Ruth Carter
Makeup: Brandy Allen (@brandyallen)
Hair: DaVonte Blanton (@stylesbydavonte)
Stylist: Tanja Caldwell (@fresh2impress)
Nails for All
Lead: Sayo Irie (@sayo_irie)
Nail Assistant: Eriko Kan (@nail_love_la)
Nail Assistant: Amanda Fernandez (@nailyoulater)
An extraordinary glam squad and styling team bringing elevated artistry and vision to the 2026 BWIH cover.
2026 BWIH Cover Shoot — Social Media Credits
Photography: @peacebureau
Production: @peacebureau
Post-Production: @snandez
Location (Chase, Latanya + Kerry): @duststudiosla
Location (Women of Sinners): @quixotestudios
Editorial Director: Victoria Uwumarogie (@ghostwritervic)
Content Operations Manager: Shelby Stewart (@shelbylnstewart)
VP, Social & Special Projects: Kory Jarvis (@mentionme)
Visuals Director: Breanna Hall (@hashtag_bre)
Art Director: Isaiah Stewart (@isaiahmikhail)
Sr. Social & Branded Content Editor: Kelvin Byers (@kelvineunique)
A powerhouse creative team bringing the 2026 BWIH cover vision to life.
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