'Black Panther' director Ryan Coogler is coming to Springfield on Friday, here's why

Academy Award-nominated director and producer Ryan Coogler has been called "the new Steven Spielberg."

But the 37-year-old director of "Black Panther" is also known for his social commentary and celebrating Black culture with pride.

Coogler will be the keynote speaker at the 97th anniversary Springfield Urban League dinner at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Friday.

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Proceeds from the dinner go to support the Urban League's after-school tutoring, youth development services, economic development, and workforce training.

Coogler's films include "Black Panther," "Creed" and "Fruitvale Station," his directorial feature debut. Most recently he served as a producer on the documentary "Stephen Curry: Underrated," about the NBA great.

Here is a look at Coogler's background and career and information about the Urban League dinner.

Coogler went to USC

Coogler was born in Oakland where his mother is a community organizer, and his father is a juvenile hall probation counselor. Like his father, Coogler has worked with incarcerated youths.

Coogler played football at Sacramento State University after briefly attending Saint Mary's College of California. He began making short films during his master's program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

'Fruitvale Station'

Coogler wrote and directed his first feature-length film, "Fruitvale Station" starring Michael B. Jordan, in 2013.

The story centers around the last 24 hours of the real-life Oscar Grant III before he was shot by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police officer Johannes Mehserle on New Year’s Day in 2009. Grant was Black and Mehserle was white.

"Fruitvale Station" was released nationwide just over a week after George Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder of Trayvon Martin in Florida. That case largely gave rise to the “Black Lives Matter” movement.

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Reviewer Peter Travers of Rolling Stone magazine called Fruitvale Station "a gut punch of a movie." It won the top Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize in the dramatic competition at the Sundance Film Festival.

Coogler, in an interview with Video Detective, said he was "angered and frustrated" by the killing but ultimately "filled with questions," leading to his making the film.

Blockbuster success

Coogler's follow-up was "Creed," a spinoff from the "Rocky" franchise in which the character Apollo Creed's son Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) was coached and mentored by his old friend and rival, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). The film earned Stallone an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

In 2018, Coogler co-wrote and directed the Marvel film "Black Panther," making him the first Black Marvel Studios director. One of the highest-grossing films of all time, "Black Panther" became the first superhero film to win a Best Picture nomination.

Coogler returned as co-writer and director for the sequel "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" last fall.

Coogler served as a co-producer on the Best Picture-nominated "Judas and the Black Messiah," a biopic of "Chairman Fred" Hampton, who rose to prominence in the Black Panther party in Chicago and was killed in a 1969 raid on his apartment.

Accolades for Coogler

Coogler has received four NAACP Image Awards and has been nominated for Golden Globe and Grammy awards.

In 2018, Coogler was short-listed for Time magazine's "Person of the Year," which ultimately went to "The Guardians," journalists, including Jamal Khashoggi, targeted for their work.

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Coogler, his wife, Zinzi, and Sevak "Sev" Ohanian, a co-producer on "Judas and the Black Messiah" founded the multimedia company Proximity Media.

He is also a founder of Blackout for Human Rights, a diverse network of artists, activists, and faith leaders who through a combination of films, festivals, and direct action aim to raise awareness of and combat human rights violations.

Coogler on the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

"There's two Martin Luther Kings out there: the one that people tell you about; and the one that, as an American, you have a responsibility to read about yourself. He truly was a humanist and a revolutionary thinker. He was a profoundly selfless man, and he was doing things that were very dangerous." (As told to Vice magazine)

How Coogler 'parallels' the Urban League mission

Why is Ryan Coogler coming to Springfield?

"Hosting Ryan Coogler as our keynote speaker underscores the parallel between our mission and his relentless pursuit of racial justice and representation through film," said Marcus E. Johnson, president and chief executive officer of the Springfield Urban League. "We eagerly look forward to an evening of introspection, inspiration and renewed dedication to our collective objectives."

The Springfield Urban League serves over 22,000 people each year in central and downstate Illinois through job training, computer literacy, economic development, health, and youth initiatives. Its target populations are those who struggle to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power, and civil rights.

It is the sixth-largest affiliate in the nation.

Dinner tickets

There are no tickets available but to get on the wait list call the Urban League administrative office, 100 N. 11th St., (217) 789-0830 ext. 1100.

Contact Steven Spearie at 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; or X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Filmmaker Ryan Coogler will speak in Springfield Friday