Sinners

In May of 2018, Elvis Mitchell interviewed Ryan Coogler at the Cannes Film Festival, a few months after the release of BLACK PANTHER. At the time, I was a 23-year-old aspiring filmmaker and artist living in my hometown – Flint, Michigan. I listened to that interview countless times. It was everything to me. I had never been on a feature film set before, and I didn’t know anyone who worked in the film business – but I had that interview and somehow it felt like enough. It helped keep my dream alive, just long enough for me to finally find my way onto a film set. And eventually onto one of Ryan’s.

While we were in post-production on SINNERS, Ryan invited a group of colleagues and friends to come screen a cut of the film. Elvis was included in the esteemed bunch. As someone who grew up in Michigan, and works in film, Elvis is a living legend to me. And I finally got to meet him. He was cool as a fan, just like I imagined. Seeing Ryan and him together, in person, discussing SINNERS in its early phases was like an out-of-body experience. It was a reminder for me of how far I had come in the 7 years since I’d first listened to them in conversation.

Every time I played that interview from Cannes, I never wanted it to end. I’d listen to it over and over, hoping to hear something new every time. And most times I did. I just wanted the conversation to keep going. And my wish was granted on SINNERS.I am forever grateful.

Ammar Mohamed
Associate Producer