Ruth E. Carter has achieved a new career milestone, officially becoming the most-nominated Black woman in Oscar history across all categories. She earned her fifth Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design for her exceptional work on the film, Sinners.
This latest recognition confirms the 65-year-old’s status as an astounding figure in cinematic costume design. Her designs are renowned for their instrumental role in defining multiple eras of Black cinema, often combining historical accuracy with innovative artistry, according to BET.
Carter’s fellow nominees in costume design include Deborah L. Scott for Avatar: Fire and Ash, Kate Hawley for Frankenstein, Malgosia Turzanska for Hamnet, and Miyako Belizzi for Marty Supreme.
“It’s … pride, gratitude, responsibility,” Carter told The Associated Press. “This is a major step in the development of our voices in Hollywood.”
Carter continued, “My trajectory has been about telling the story of culture. Our history is being erased as we speak. So to have this responsibility of telling our stories — and being as authentic as I can — and being awarded for it, is a celebration.”
Carter’s Oscar career spans over thirty years, beginning with early nominations for Malcolm X (1992) and Amistad (1997). She made Academy history by becoming the first Black woman to win the Oscar for costume design with her work on Black Panther (2018).
Carter solidified her groundbreaking status with a second win for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), making her the only Black woman to have won multiple Academy Awards.
Her latest Oscar nomination marks her fifth, placing her in a tie with Spike Lee and Morgan Freeman for the third-most nominations among Black creatives.
This achievement moves her past her previous tie of four nominations with Oscar winner Viola Davis. According to Variety, only Quincy Jones (seven nominations) and Denzel Washington (nine nominations) have received more nominations among Black creatives.
Carter’s career is remarkable not just for her many nominations, but for the wide variety of stories she has brought to life visually.
Her costumes have greatly influenced modern cinema’s visual style, covering everything from the hip-hop fashion of early Spike Lee film sets in Brooklyn to the majestic Afrofuturism of Wakanda, which completely changed current fashion.
Meanwhile, the movie Sinners was a notable and record-breaking contender in the nominations, earning 16 nods.
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Among this record number of nominations were acting nods for Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, and Wunmi Mosaku.
Ryan Coogler also achieved significant and historic recognition with his Oscar nominations. He is only the second Black filmmaker, following Jordan Peele’s Get Out in 2017, to receive nominations for producing, directing, and original screenplay all in the same year. Coogler also joins an elite group as the seventh Black director ever to be nominated for the best director award.
His fellow producer, Zinzi Coogler, is also making Academy Awards history, becoming the first Filipina producer and the third Black woman to be nominated for best picture.
Furthermore, she and Ryan Coogler are the first Black married couple to receive a joint nomination in the best picture category.
Autumn Durald Arkapaw made history as the first woman of color to be nominated for cinematography. In the production designer category, Hannah Beachler, the only Black woman ever recognized, earned her second nomination, building on her Oscar win for Black Panther in 2018.
READ ALSO: Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’ is the first film to stream in Black American Sign Language
