On the night of March 16, Los Angeles hosted the 98th Academy Awards, the film industry’s most prestigious celebration presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The evening’s undeniable triumph belonged to Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film One Battle After Another. The movie collected six awards, including two of the ceremony’s most coveted categories — Best Picture and Best Director — firmly cementing its status as the defining film of the season.
The Best Actor Oscar went to Michael B. Jordan for his performance in Sinners.
Jessie Buckley was named Best Actress for her role in the drama Hamnet.
Even when nominations were announced back in January, it was clear that the awards race would center on two major contenders: Sinners, which led with 16 nominations, and One Battle After Another, which followed with 13.
In the end, Anderson’s film dominated the evening with six statuettes, while Sinners walked away with four awards, including Jordan’s acting win.
In the documentary category, the award went to Mr. Nobody Against Putin. The film follows Russian teacher Pavel Talankin, who began documenting changes inside Russia’s education system after the start of the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Mstyslav Chernov’s documentary 2000 Meters to Andriivka did not receive a nomination this year.
However, the shortlist for Best Documentary Short Film included Armed Only With a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud. The film tells the story of American journalist and filmmaker Brent Renaud, who was killed in 2022 while reporting on the war in Ukraine.
For Paul Thomas Anderson, the win marked a turning point. The director had previously received 14 Oscar nominations without a single victory, despite widespread critical acclaim.
His earlier films — Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and There Will Be Blood — earned numerous international awards, yet the Academy’s top honor had remained out of reach.
This year changed that. For One Battle After Another, Anderson took home two Oscars: Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.
The story unfolds against the backdrop of a deep social crisis. At its center is a confrontation between a left-wing activist played by Leonardo DiCaprio and a racist colonel portrayed by Sean Penn.
In addition to directing and writing honors, the film also won awards for casting and editing.
Sean Penn received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, marking his third Academy Award following earlier wins for Mystic River and Milk.
The Best Actor category offered no obvious frontrunner this year. Neither Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another) nor Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme. The Genius of Combinations) ultimately secured the award.
Instead, the victory went to Michael B. Jordan for his dual performance as twin brothers in Sinners.
Set in 1930s Mississippi, the film follows two brothers returning home to open a bar — only for their plans to unravel after a sudden vampire attack.
The film’s unusual blend of historical drama and genre thriller earned it four Oscars: for acting, original screenplay, score, and cinematography.
In the Best Actress category, Jessie Buckley triumphed for Hamnet. The Irish actress — known for her work in War & Peace, Taboo, and Chernobyl — has swept the entire awards circuit this season, winning Critics Choice, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and SAG Awards.
With her Oscar victory, Buckley becomes the first actress since Renée Zellweger to complete a perfect awards-season sweep. Zellweger last achieved the feat in 2020 for her performance in Judy.
In Best Supporting Actress, the award went to Amy Madigan for Weapons. It marks her second Oscar nomination, the first having come 40 years ago for Twice in a Lifetime.
The film Frankenstein collected three Oscars for makeup, costume design, and production design.
In Best Visual Effects, the blockbuster Avatar: Fire and Ash prevailed over competitors including F-1, Sinners, and Jurassic World: Rebirth.
The racing drama F-1 received the Oscar for Best Sound.
The award for Best International Feature Film went to the Norwegian drama Sentimental Value.
In the Best Animated Feature category, K-Pop Demon Hunters took the prize, defeating the expected frontrunner Zootopia 2.
The film has already become Netflix’s most-watched release in the platform’s history, and the company has confirmed that a sequel is already in development.
Along with the top animation prize, the film also earned another Oscar — Best Original Song for Golden.
In Best Live Action Short Film, the Academy announced a rare tie, awarding the prize to two films: The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva. Such ties are extremely uncommon — the last occurred in 2012.
Meanwhile, Best Animated Short Film went to The Girl Who Cried Pearls, a delicate and symbolic piece praised for its refined direction and visual storytelling.
