The 98th Academy Awards delivered a dramatic and politically charged evening in Hollywood, with Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another emerging as the biggest winner of the night. The dystopian political thriller dominated the ceremony, taking home six Oscars including the prestigious Best Picture, while several other films such as Sinners, Hamnet, and Netflix’s animated hit KPop Demon Hunters also enjoyed major victories.
The ceremony celebrated a wide range of filmmaking achievements across genres, from emotional historical dramas to high-energy blockbusters and socially conscious documentaries. Hosted by Conan O’Brien for the second year in a row, the night mixed humor, powerful speeches, and historic milestones as the global film community gathered to honor the year’s best cinema.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another stood at the center of the awards. The film, set in a fictional authoritarian version of America, resonated strongly with Academy voters and secured wins for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Anderson dedicated his writing award to the next generation, saying the film was partly inspired by the world his children will inherit.
Warner Bros. also had another major success with Sinners, which collected several awards including Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan and Best Original Screenplay for director Ryan Coogler. The film’s wins highlighted one of the studio’s strongest Oscar performances in recent years.
Jessie Buckley delivered one of the evening’s most emotional moments when she won Best Actress for Hamnet, a deeply moving drama about grief and motherhood. Her acceptance speech coincided with Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom, adding an extra layer of emotion to the moment.
Several historic milestones also defined the night. Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman ever to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography for her work on Sinners, while Cassandra Kulukundis made history by winning the Academy’s first-ever award for Best Casting for One Battle After Another.
Meanwhile, Netflix’s global animated phenomenon KPop Demon Hunters won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for its anthem “Golden,” highlighting the increasing influence of international storytelling and representation in animation.
Below is the complete list of nominations and winners from the 98th Academy Awards.
Best Picture
Bugonia – Focus Features
F1 – Apple Original Films
Frankenstein – Netflix
Hamnet – Focus Features
Marty Supreme – A24
One Battle After Another – Warner Bros. (Winner)
The Secret Agent – Neon
Sentimental Value – Neon
Sinners – Warner Bros.
Train Dreams – Netflix
Best Director
Chloé Zhao – Hamnet
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (Winner)
Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners (Winner)
Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent
Best Actress
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet (Winner)
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
Emma Stone – Bugonia
Best Supporting Actor
Benicio Del Toro – One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo – Sinners
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another (Winner)
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
Best Supporting Actress
Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan – Weapons (Winner)
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
Best Adapted Screenplay
Bugonia – Will Tracy
Frankenstein – Guillermo del Toro
Hamnet – Chloé Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell
One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson (Winner)
Train Dreams – Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
Best Original Screenplay
Blue Moon – Robert Kaplow
It Was Just an Accident – Jafar Panahi
Marty Supreme – Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie
Sentimental Value – Eskil Vogt & Joachim Trier
Sinners – Ryan Coogler (Winner)
Best Animated Feature
Arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters (Winner)
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2
Best Animated Short
Butterfly
Forevergreen
The Girl Who Cried Pearls (Winner)
Retirement Plan
The Three Sisters
Best Costume Design
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein (Winner)
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sinners
Best Casting
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another (Winner)
The Secret Agent
Sinners
Best Live Action Short Film
Butcher’s Stain
A Friend of Dorothy
Jane Austen’s Period Drama
The Singers (Winner – Tie)
Two People Exchanging Saliva (Winner – Tie)
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Frankenstein (Winner)
Kokuho
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
The Ugly Stepsister
Best Original Song
Dear Me – Diane Warren: Relentless
Golden – KPop Demon Hunters (Winner)
I Lied To You – Sinners
Sweet Dreams of Joy – Viva Verdi!
Train Dreams – Train Dreams
Best Original Score
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Sinners – Ludwig Göransson (Winner)
Best Cinematography
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners – Autumn Durald Arkapaw (Winner)
Train Dreams
Best Documentary Feature
The Alabama Solution
Come See Me in the Good Light
Cutting Through Rocks
Mr. Nobody Against Putin (Winner)
The Perfect Neighbor
Best Documentary Short
All the Empty Rooms (Winner)
Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”
The Devil Is Busy
Perfectly a Strangeness
Best Film Editing
F1
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another (Winner)
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Best International Feature Film
The Secret Agent – Brazil
It Was Just an Accident – France
Sentimental Value – Norway (Winner)
Sirāt – Spain
The Voice of Hind Rajab – Tunisia
Best Production Design
Frankenstein (Winner)
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Best Sound
F1 (Winner)
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sirāt
Best Visual Effects
Avatar: Fire and Ash (Winner)
F1
Jurassic World Rebirth
The Lost Bus
Sinners
Final Words
The 2026 Oscars reflected a year where bold storytelling, powerful performances, and diverse filmmaking voices stood at the forefront. With One Battle After Another dominating the ceremony and films like Sinners, Hamnet, and KPop Demon Hunters leaving their mark, the night celebrated the evolving landscape of cinema — one that continues to balance artistic ambition with global storytelling.
