Former Hoover student Sev Ohanian was recently recognized at the Golden Globe Awards.

He received the Cinematic & Box Office Achievement Award for his film Sinners, which also won Best Original Score, honoring Ludwig Göransson for his work on the film.

Sinners earned a total of seven Golden Globe nominations, placing it among the most nominated films of the year. While it did not win in all nominated categories, the film still secured two major awards.

Blending historical drama with supernatural elements, Sinners follows twin brothers who return home to open a juke joint, only to confront both social injustice and dark, otherworldly forces. The film’s success extended beyond awards season—it grossed nearly $280 million in the United States, ranked as the seventh-highest-grossing film of the year, and received a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

For Ohanian, this achievement marks another milestone in a career defined by bold storytelling and a commitment to elevating diverse voices on a global stage.

While still a student, Ohanian made his early filmmaking debut by directing and producing a micro-budget film inspired by his own experiences growing up in an Armenian immigrant family. The film explored the challenges of adapting to life in the United States, highlighting cultural identity, family dynamics, and the immigrant experience through humor and authenticity.

Ohanian later used his early success to help fund critically acclaimed projects such as Fruitvale Station, Creed III, Judas and the Black Messiah, and the hit thriller Searching, which earned $75 million on an $800,000 budget. He went on to cofound Proximity Media with Ryan and Zinzi Coogler, secured a major television deal with Disney, and received recognition from Sundance, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and the Armenian community.