Dark comedy action thriller One Battle After Another fremerged as the biggest winner at the 98th Academy Awards, taking home six Oscars including the coveted Best Picture prize.
The film also earned Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson, marking his first win in the category after three previous nominations.
Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor for his dual role as twin brothers in the vampire horror film Sinners, which set a record as the most nominated movie in Oscars history with 16 nominations.
In another historic moment, Jessie Buckley became the first Irish actress to win Best Actress for her performance in Hamnet, where she portrayed William Shakespeare’s wife.
Veteran actor Sean Penn secured the Best Supporting Actor award for his role as the villain Colonel Lockjaw in One Battle After Another, though he was absent from the ceremony.
Meanwhile, Amy Madigan won Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Aunt Gladys in the horror film Weapons, four decades after receiving her first Oscar nomination.
Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw also made history, becoming the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for her work on Sinners.
Screenwriter and filmmaker Ryan Coogler won Best Original Screenplay for Sinners, which he reportedly wrote in just two months. Best Adapted Screenplay went to One Battle After Another, adapted by Anderson from Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland.
In another milestone, Cassandra Kulukundis won the first-ever Oscar for Best Casting for her work on One Battle After Another. The visual effects prize went to Avatar: Fire and Ash.
The Best Live Action Short Film category ended in a rare tie between The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva, marking only the sixth tie in the ceremony’s nearly century-long history.
The ceremony was not without controversy. After winning Best Original Song for the Netflix hit Kpop Demon Hunters, only songwriter EJAE was able to finish her speech before the orchestra began playing. Composer Yu-han Lee was cut off as the show moved to a commercial break, sparking backlash on social media.
Fans on X criticised the decision, calling the moment “sad and disrespectful,” with some arguing the orchestra received more screen time than the winners.
After the ceremony, Hollywood stars including Nicole Kidman, Jeff Goldblum, and Zoe Saldaña were among those seen arriving at the traditional Vanity Fair Oscars after-party.
Irish actor Barry Keoghan also praised Buckley’s performance in Hamnet, saying he was “massively proud” of the actress and describing her portrayal as deeply moving.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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