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Warner Bros. Studios marked a major moment this week as Ryan Coogler and his Proximity Media partners were awarded the studio’s ceremonial key during a two day celebration of their film Sinners. The event blended history, music, and filmmaking pride, turning a Los Angeles restaurant into a living extension of the movie’s world.
The Somerville restaurant in Windsor Hills was completely transformed into the Juke Joint, the soul soaked Southern blues hall featured in Sinners. Guests were treated to performances from the film’s breakout actor Miles Caton, who plays Sammie Moore, along with Alice Smith and Raphael Saadiq. The night centered on music, which is as much a character in Sinners as any actor. Serena Göransson, the executive music producer, told the crowd their goal was simple: bring everyone inside the Juke.
Two original songs submitted for Oscar consideration made their debut in front of the crowd. Caton, Saadiq, and composer Ludwig Göransson delivered “I Lied to You”, while Caton and Smith joined for “Last Time I Seen the Sun”. The evening also featured blues staples including Willie Dixon’s “Wang Dang Doodle”, a nod to the rich musical soil that the film draws from. Ludwig Göransson shared how personal the music was for him, recalling his father’s own history as a blues musician and how preparing for the film took him through the Mississippi Delta and Memphis.
The celebration followed the American Cinematheque Award ceremony the night before, where Michael B. Jordan, star of Sinners, was honored as one of the youngest recipients of the award. Jordan was among the many cast and creative team members who attended the Juke Joint event.
The emotional centerpiece of the evening came when Warner Bros. Motion Picture Chairs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy presented the Key to Warner Bros. Studios to Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, and Sev Ohanian. The tradition dates back to the 1950s, when Jack Warner began awarding keys to filmmakers and stars with deep ties to the studio. Abdy praised Proximity Media for their passion, loyalty, and vision, describing the partnership as one of the most meaningful experiences of her career.
In accepting the honor, Zinzi Coogler thanked the studio for supporting Proximity’s mission of bringing audiences together in theaters. Ryan Coogler reflected on the timing and weight of the moment, acknowledging the challenges facing the industry and expressing gratitude that Warner Bros. trusted them with a project as bold as Sinners.
Coogler also noted the full circle nature of receiving the key on the lot where historic early sound films like The Jazz Singer and The Singing Fool were made, works that carried complex racial themes of their own.
The event gathered a powerful lineup of artists. Cast members including Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, Wunmi Mosaku, Omar Benson Miller, Jayme Lawson, and blues icon Buddy Guy were present. Key creatives such as costume designer Ruth Carter, production designer Hannah Beachler, casting director Francine Maisler, editor Michael Shawver, and cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw also attended. They were joined by a long list of prominent supporters including Don Cheadle, Sterling K. Brown, Taylour Paige, Anika Noni Rose, Djimon Hounsou, Lynn Whitfield, Vivica A. Fox, and others.
What began as a film once viewed as a gamble has now become a defining achievement for both Proximity Media and Warner Bros. Sinners, a ninety five million dollar period story about twin brothers returning from World War I to find their Mississippi hometown overtaken by vampires, has grown into one of the studio’s proudest successes. The celebration captured that feeling clearly. It honored the film, the music, the partnership, and the creative risks that paid off in a year of major wins for Warner Bros. and Proximity Media alike.
