The 98th Academy Awards delivered a strong night for filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, whose drama One Battle After Another won Best Picture at Sunday’s ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The film finished the night with six total wins, including Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn, Best Editing, and Best Casting.
Accepting the top prize, Anderson reflected on the strength of this year’s nominees, comparing the lineup to the legendary 1975 Oscars.
“In 1975, the Oscar nominees were Barry Lyndon, Dog Day Afternoon, Jaws, Nashville, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” Anderson said. “There is no best among them, there’s just a mood that day. We’re just happy to be part of this. So many great films this year.”
The director later joked that he had forgotten to thank his cast during his earlier Best Director acceptance speech. “What a night, let’s have a martini,” he added.
While One Battle After Another dominated the evening, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners also had a major showing, winning four awards including Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score.
Jordan used his acceptance speech to recognize the Black actors who previously won the category. “I stand here because of the people who came before me,” Jordan said, thanking Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Jamie Foxx, and Will Smith.
Jessie Buckley won Best Actress for her performance in Hamnet, dedicating the award to mothers everywhere. “It’s Mother’s Day in the UK today,” Buckley said. “I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart.”
Another emotional moment came when Amy Madigan won Best Supporting Actress for Weapons, marking the Oscar winner’s first victory 40 years after her first nomination.
Elsewhere in the ceremony, KPop Demon Hunters won two awards, taking home Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for the track Golden.
The ceremony was hosted by Conan O’Brien, who returned for his second year. The show also featured several nostalgic moments, including a Bridesmaids cast reunion with Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, and Ellie Kemper, as well as a musical throwback with Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, who revisited Moulin Rouge.
Here is the complete list of Oscar winners:
Best Picture
One Battle After Another
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Best Actress
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Best Actor
Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Best Supporting Actor
Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Madigan, Weapons
Best Adapted Screenplay
One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson
Best Original Screenplay
Sinners, Ryan Coogler
Best International Feature Film
Sentimental Value, Norway
Best Documentary Feature
Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Best Animated Feature
KPop Demon Hunters
Best Cinematography
Sinners, Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Best Film Editing
One Battle After Another, Andy Jurgensen
Best Original Score
Sinners, Ludwig Göransson
Best Original Song
Golden, KPop Demon Hunters
Best Costume Design
Frankenstein
Best Production Design
Frankenstein
Best Hair and Makeup
Frankenstein
Best Visual Effects
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Best Sound
F1
Best Live Action Short Film
Tie: The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva
Best Animated Short Film
The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Best Documentary Short Film
All The Empty Rooms
And how did our predictions fare? Well, we got a total of six wrong. Not too bad!
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Who will win the 98th Academy Awards? Our predictions
