'One Battle After Another' triumphs at 98th Academy Awards
Last updated: March 16, 2026 | 10:47 ..
This picture shows Puerto-Rican actor Benicio Del Toro, US filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson and US actor Leonardo DiCaprio holding the Oscar for Best Picture for "One Battle After Another" during the 98th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on Sunday. AFP
Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" was crowned best picture at the 98th Academy Awards, handing Hollywood's top honor to a comic, multi-generational American saga of political resistance.
The ceremony on Sunday, which also saw Michael B. Jordan win best actor and "Sinners" cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw make Oscar history as the first female director of photography to win the award, was a long-in-coming coronation for Anderson, a San Fernando Valley native who made his first short at age 18 and has been one of America's most lionized filmmakers for decades. Before Sunday, Anderson had never won an Oscar.
But "One Battle After Another," the favorite coming in, won six Oscars, including best director and best adapted screenplay for Anderson, the Oscars' first trophy for best casting and best supporting actor for an absent Sean Penn.
US actor Michael B. Jordan poses in the press room with the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for "Sinners" during the awards. AFP
"I wrote this movie for my kids to say sorry for the housekeeping mess that we left in this world - we're handing off to them," said Anderson while accepting the screenplay trophy. "But also with the encouragement that they will be the generation that hopefully brings us some common sense and decency."
Ryan Coogler's Jim Crow-set, blues-soaked vampire tale "Sinners," which came in with a record 16 nominations, also landed some big and even historic wins. Coogler, the widely loved filmmaker, won the first Oscar in an unblemished career that started out with Jordan in 2013's "Fruitvale Station."
Arkapaw was also the first Black person to win for best cinematography. Only the fourth female cinematographer ever nominated, her win was a long-in-coming triumph for women behind the camera.
US director Ryan Coogler (right) stands with his wife US film producer Zinzi Coogler holding his Oscar for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) for "Sinners" at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. AFP
"I really want all the women in room to stand up," said Arkapaw. "Because I don't feel like I get here without you guys."
And Jordan, one of Hollywood's most liked leading men, won best actor in one of the night's closest races. The Dolby Theatre rose to its feet in the most thunderous applause of the night.
"Yo, momma, what's up?" said Jordan after staggering to the stage.
The Oscar night belonged to Warner Bros., the studio of "One Battle After Another" and "Sinners," which scored a record-tying 11 wins. It was an oddly poignant note of triumph for the fabled studio, which weeks earlier agreed to a sale to Paramount Skydance, David Ellison's rapidly assembled media monolith. The $111 billion deal, which awaits regulatory approval, has Hollywood bracing for more layoffs.
But "Sinners" and "One Battle After Another" - the much-acclaimed heavyweights of the season - were each Hollywood anomalies: big-budget originals born from a personal vision. In a year where anxiety over studio contraction and the rise of artificial intelligence often consumed the industry, both films gave Hollywood fresh hope.
Jessie Buckley, winner of the Oscar for Best Actress for "Hamnet", poses in the Oscars photo room. Reuters
Jessie Buckley won best actress for her performance as Agnes Shakespeare in "Hamnet," making her the first Irish performer to ever win in the category. At an Oscars where no other acting award seemed a sure thing, Buckley cruised into Sunday's Oscars at the Dolby Theatre as the overwhelming favorite.
"It's Mother's Day in the UK," said Buckley on the stage. "I would like to dedicated this to the beautiful chaos of a mother's heart."
From the start, when host Conan O'Brien sprinted through the year's nominees as Amy Madigan's character in the horror thriller "Weapons" in a pre-taped bit, Sunday's ceremony was quirky, a little clunky and preoccupied with the shifting place of movies in culture. There was, of all things, a tie for best live-action short film.