LOS ANGELES (Realist English). Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another emerged as the biggest winner at the 98th Academy Awards, taking home six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director.
The film, which had received 13 nominations, prevailed over its main competitor Sinners, a vampire-themed drama directed by Ryan Coogler that entered the ceremony with a record 16 nominations — the most in Academy Awards history.
Anderson secures first directing Oscar
Anderson won his first Oscar for Best Director after years of critical acclaim for films such as There Will Be Blood, The Master and Phantom Thread. He also received the award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
During his acceptance speech, Anderson thanked his wife, actor Maya Rudolph, and said he wrote the film partly as a message to his children.
“I wrote this movie for my kids to say sorry for the mess in the world we are handing to them,” he said, expressing hope that younger generations will improve on the legacy of the current one.
In addition to Best Picture, the film won awards for Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing and the Academy’s newly introduced Best Casting category.
“Sinners” earns major acting and technical awards
Despite its record number of nominations, Sinners won four Oscars. Michael B. Jordan received the award for Best Actor, while the film also won Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Score.
One of the most notable moments of the evening came when Autumn Durald Arkapaw won Best Cinematography for Sinners, becoming the first woman in the history of the Academy Awards to receive the prize in that category.
Acting awards and notable wins
Jessie Buckley won Best Actress for her performance in the historical drama Hamnet.
Sean Penn earned the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in One Battle After Another, marking his third acting Oscar and placing him among a small group of performers — including Daniel Day-Lewis and Jack Nicholson — to achieve that milestone.
Amy Madigan won Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Weapons, receiving the award four decades after her first nomination in 1986.
Other major winners
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein secured three awards: Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Production Design.
Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value won Best International Feature Film, marking the first victory for Norway in that category.
The documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin won Best Documentary Feature, while KPop Demon Hunters took the award for Best Animated Feature.
Ceremony highlights
The ceremony featured political commentary and cultural references throughout the night. Host Conan O’Brien delivered an opening monologue that included jokes about artificial intelligence, U.S. politics and the entertainment industry.
Actor Javier Bardem also drew attention when he called for “no to war and free Palestine” while presenting the award for Best International Feature Film.
The evening included an emotional “In Memoriam” tribute honoring several prominent figures in cinema, including director Rob Reiner and actor Robert Redford.
Rare tie in short film category
A rare tie occurred in the Best Live Action Short Film category, with both The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva receiving the award. It marked only the seventh tie in Oscar history.
The ceremony concluded the 2025–2026 awards season, with One Battle After Another emerging as the most decorated film of the night.
