Watch: Sinners Makes History With BASL Interpretation
BASL director Rosa Lee Timm talks about the process of translating Ryan Coogler's film, and we have a powerful clip.
Sinners has been making history for most of 2025, and its July 4 streaming debut on HBO Max was no exception. Ryan Coogler’s smash-hit movie, starring Michael B. Jordan as twins in 1932 who return to their Mississippi hometown, is a wild mishmash of genres and styles that encompasses everything from blues to vampires. And to bring Coogler’s sui generis vision to life for as many viewers as possible, streaming home HBO Max is offering a Black American Sign Language (BASL) interpretation for viewers.
BASL is a dialect of American Sign Language, with its own nuances and cultural history, making it the perfect choice for Sinners. And making Sinners the perfect opportunity to bring BASL to its widest audience yet.
“What makes Sinners especially significant is that it’s the first project of its kind — a full cinematic interpretation in BASL on a major streaming platform,” says Rosa Lee Timm, who directed Sinners interpreter Nakia Smith. “We haven’t seen this level of visibility and investment in BASL before, which makes this a historic moment. It sets a precedent for what inclusive filmmaking can look like when Black Deaf language and culture are centered — not just acknowledged.”
As Timm points out, captions can’t capture the nuance of line delivery. “For many Deaf people, sign language is their first and most natural language,” she says. “A character’s line might carry guilt, power, or longing — but captions alone can’t always capture that. Adding a sign language interpretation doesn’t just translate the words; it brings the intention and emotional weight of the scene to life in a way that feels true and accessible for Deaf viewers. It allows Deaf audiences to experience the storyline with the same richness hearing audiences get from vocal tone, music, and delivery. That’s the real value — not just inclusion, but immersion.”
Timm’s extensive experience with ASL, both as an onscreen interpreter (for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood!) and as director of ASL versions of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and A Minecraft Movie, was solid preparation for Sinners, but nothing could have fully prepared her or Smith for the demands Coogler’s film would make on them.
“The biggest challenge was translating dialogue that’s deeply rooted in historical and cultural references, especially when you’re working within tight time frames,” Timm says. “You want to honor the script without compromising clarity, and that’s easier said than done. There’s a weight to Sinners that demanded careful handling. We had to find ways to carry the emotional and cultural subtext into BASL in a way that still fit the rhythm of the film. It was a delicate balance: being faithful to the original script while allowing the visual language to breathe.”
The complexities of bringing Sinners to vivid life via BASL are legion. The cast is sprawling, the camerawork is fluid, and the line between dialogue, voiceover, and singing is blurry.
“[Nakia and I] started by discussing what each line meant, not just literally, but emotionally and culturally,” Timm says. “Then we translated them into BASL/ASL. After that came role-shifting: making sure viewers could clearly follow who was speaking, which got tricky whenever the camera panned between characters. That meant we had to constantly adjust spatial placements in the signing. Finally, we broke down each character to ensure Nakia captured their tone, persona, and emotional affect. Once we had the bones in place, we layered in rhythm, cinematic timing, and visual impact. Every element was intentional.”
That intention shines through, particularly in the all-out blues performance that precedes the bloody second half of the film, in which Sammie Morris (Ryan Caton) calls forth spirits from the past and the future as the camera revolves around the room in one take. And Crafty has the full sequence in BASL in the video below!
“Directing interpreters means constantly digging into intent — we talk about character motivation, subtext, rhythm, and emotional tone. It’s a collaborative process,” Timm says. “With Nakia, it was even more dynamic. She brings a deep command of BASL and a sharp creative eye. Our conversations often evolved into artistic exploration — we’d bounce ideas off each other about sign choices, pacing, and character embodiment. It never felt like I was just directing her; it felt like we were building something together.
“I hope Sinners sets a new standard and inspires future productions to embrace sign language as a core creative element, not a technical accommodation,” Timm added. “We’re just getting started.”
Sinners is now streaming on HBO Max.
It's incredible to see the interpreter in that musical scene. I never realized how many complexities there were around switching between characters and tone of different characters... Thanks for this article!