98th Oscars: Winners List – ‘One Battle After Another’ & ‘Sinners’ Lead
The 98th Academy Awards concluded Sunday evening with a sweep for One Battle After Another, securing six wins including Best Picture and Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson. The ceremony also celebrated breakthrough performances from Michael B. Jordan and Jessie Buckley, who took home the Best Actor and Best Actress awards respectively.
Anderson’s win marks a significant milestone in his career, representing his first Best Picture and Best Director Oscar despite being a long-respected figure in Hollywood. Accepting the award, he acknowledged the long wait with a touch of humor, stating, “You make a guy function hard for one of these, I really appreciate it,” and describing the filmmaking process as a “wonderful, wonderful journey.”
Michael B. Jordan’s performance in Sinners earned him the Best Actor award, beating out Timothée Chalamet for the honor. Ryan Coogler also took home the Best Original Screenplay award for Sinners, contributing to the film’s overall success. The film ultimately garnered four awards throughout the night.
Jessie Buckley delivered a deeply moving performance in Hamnet, which resonated with voters and led to her being awarded Best Actress. Buckley dedicated her win to “the lovely chaos of a mother’s heart,” noting it was Mother’s Day in the UK. She spoke to the lineage of women who “continue to create against all odds,” and offered a touching tribute to her eight-month-old daughter, thanking her parents for instilling in her a belief in pursuing passion over expectation.
Beyond the top awards, One Battle After Another also secured wins for Best Supporting Actor (Sean Penn), Best Film Editing (Andy Jurgensen), and Best Casting (Cassandra Kulukundis). Amy Madigan was recognized for her performance in Weapons, winning Best Supporting Actress.
The awards weren’t limited to English-language films. Sentimental Value from Norway was honored as Best International Feature Film, while Kpop Demon Hunters took home the award for Best Animated Feature. The film also secured the Best Original Song award for “Golden,” penned by Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Teddy Park.
Documentary filmmaking was also celebrated, with Mr. Nobody Against Putin winning Best Documentary Feature and All the Empty Rooms taking the award for Best Documentary Short Subject. In the short film categories, The Girl Who Cried Pearls was named Best Animated Short Film, and The Singers won Best Live Action Short Film. Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata also won for Two People Exchanging Saliva.
Technical achievements were also recognized. Ludwig Goransson won Best Original Score for his work on Sinners, while Autumn Durald Arkapaw was awarded Best Cinematography for the same film. The visual effects team behind Avatar: Fire and Ash – Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett – were honored for their work. Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey took home the award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling for Frankenstein, which also won awards for Best Costume Design (Kate Hawley) and Best Production Design (Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau).
Sound design and mixing were also acknowledged, with Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta winning Best Sound for F1.
The 98th Academy Awards highlighted a diverse range of cinematic achievements, from sweeping political thrillers to intimate character studies and groundbreaking animation. One Battle After Another‘s dominance signals a strong resonance with the Academy, while the individual wins for Jordan and Buckley mark significant moments in their careers. The ceremony, which will be rebroadcast on M-Net Movies 1 (DStv 104) on , offered a celebration of both established talent and emerging voices in the film industry.