Ryan Coogler: I ‘was young & naive’ to think Fruitvale Station would change things

On Tuesday night, the National Board of Review’s awards gala was held in New York. NBR announces their awards ahead of time, so the winners can show up without stressing. Ryan Coogler came into the show knowing that he won NBR’s Screenplay award and that Sinners was placed on NBR’s top-ten films of the year. He had time to prepare a speech and he was thoughtful about what he wanted to say. He reminded the audience that the first time the NBR honored him, it was for Fruitvale Station, his first full-length feature film. Which is the first time I ever heard of him and the first time I saw Michael B. Jordan in a lead role. The film is based on the true story of the last day of Oscar Grant’s life before he was killed by a police officer. In his NBR speech, Coogler drew the comparison from then to now:

“Sinners” writer and director Ryan Coogler turned a night of celebration into heavy reflection … getting visibly choked up as he called attention to the killing of Renee Nicole Good on a Minneapolis street by an ICE agent last week.

During the National Board of Review Awards gala in NYC Tuesday night, Ryan — accepting his win for Best Original Screenplay — didn’t mince words. He explained he was distracted, as his heart wasn’t in New York at all … it was in Minnesota, where tensions have exploded since Renee was shot and killed last Wednesday.

Ryan noted the last time he was at the NBR Awards was back in 2014 for “Fruitvale Station,” a film about the killing of Oscar Grant … saying, “I was young and naïve and I thought the movie was going to change the world, in making sure that we don’t see people executed by civil servants on camera anymore. I was proven wrong again and again. And it’s tough to be here and not think about Minnesota. I can’t be here and not think about Renee.”

[From TMZ & AP]

It’s heartbreaking, really. Fruitvale Station was 13 years ago, and in that time, so much has changed and yet some of the most horrible things have stayed the same. They just have different badges, different directives, different targets. Props to Coogler for standing up at an awards show and talking about it too.

Sinners writer-director Ryan Coogler gets emotional accepting screenplay award at National Board of Review gala – “I can’t be here without thinking about Renee” referring to Renee Good, killed by ICE. He thought Fruitvale Station would change the world, “I was proven wrong” pic.twitter.com/SHOYVyJjaA

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) January 14, 2026

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.