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Awards season always promises spectacle, but every once in a while the Oscars manage to feel like something more than just Hollywood celebrating itself. The 98th Academy Awards turned into one of those nights — a ceremony defined by overdue recognition, historic firsts, and a growing sense that the industry is responding to the anxieties of the moment.

Several winners took home their first Oscars after years — or even decades — of acclaim, while others shattered barriers that have persisted in Hollywood for generations. At the same time, the night reflected a larger shift in storytelling priorities. The Academy seemed drawn toward films that confront the political and cultural tensions of our era, while also embracing genre storytelling — particularly horror and horror-adjacent narratives — with a seriousness that the Oscars have historically resisted.

By the end of the night, two films stood clearly above the rest: Paul Thomas Anderson’s politically charged epic One Battle After Another and Ryan Coogler’s genre-bending vampire thriller Sinners. Their dominance not only defined the ceremony but also suggested where the industry might be heading next.

Below are my highlights and takeaways from the night — the wins that mattered most, the moments that felt historic, and what they might mean for the future of filmmaking.

AWARDS

Best Picture

Best Directing: Paul Thomas Anderson

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Sean Penn

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Paul Thomas Anderson

Best Casting: Cassandra Kulukundis

Best Film Editing: Andy Jurgensen

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Paul Thomas Anderson finally received his long-overdue recognition from the Academy, with One Battle After Another taking home six awards — including the newly introduced category of Best Casting. For a filmmaker who has spent decades shaping modern American cinema with films like There Will Be Blood, The Master, and Phantom Thread, the moment felt less like a surprise and more like a coronation.

The sweep also reflected something deeper about the current moment in Hollywood. Anderson’s film, with its politically charged themes and reflections on civic resistance, speaks directly to a cultural environment filled with uncertainty and debate about the future of democratic institutions. In many ways, the Academy’s embrace of the film signals a growing appetite for stories that attempt to process the world’s instability through cinema.

Sean Penn secured the Supporting Actor win for his performance, though his absence from the ceremony created one of the night’s more curious moments. Meanwhile, Cassandra Kulukundis’ victory in the newly established Best Casting category added another layer of intrigue to the ongoing awards-season rivalry between Anderson’s sprawling spectacle and Ryan Coogler’s vampire thriller Sinners.

Across multiple speeches throughout the evening, Anderson returned repeatedly to a central theme: the future that today’s filmmakers are leaving for their children. He spoke candidly about the responsibility artists carry in shaping cultural narratives and expressed cautious optimism that the next generation might inherit a more thoughtful and compassionate world.

In many ways, Anderson’s words mirrored the themes of his film itself — a story about resistance, civic responsibility, and the belief that change ultimately lies in the hands of the young.

AWARDS

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Michael B. Jordan

Best Writing (Original Screenplay): Ryan Coogler

Best Music (Original Score): Ludwig Göransson

Best Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw 

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If One Battle After Another represented the political pulse of the evening, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners embodied the night’s most exciting genre breakthrough.

Coogler made history by becoming only the second Black writer ever to win the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, following Jordan Peele’s landmark victory for Get Out in 2018. The win marked a major milestone not just for Coogler’s career but for the broader recognition of Black voices within the Academy’s writing categories.

Another historic moment came with Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who became the first woman of color ever to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography. The award was especially meaningful considering how long the cinematography category has remained one of the most male-dominated fields in filmmaking.

Michael B. Jordan’s win for Best Actor brought one of the most suspenseful announcements of the evening. The room held a palpable tension as the envelope was opened, a testament to both the fierce competition in the category and the impact of Jordan’s performance.

Beyond the awards themselves, Sinners represents something larger for the Academy. The film’s record-breaking sixteen nominations — an unprecedented number for a horror-adjacent story — signal that the genre may finally be receiving the artistic respect it has long deserved. Horror has historically served as a powerful vehicle for social commentary, particularly around race, identity, and systemic injustice, yet the Oscars have often overlooked it.

With Sinners, that dynamic appears to be shifting. The film stands as both a critical and cultural breakthrough, suggesting a future where genre storytelling is not merely tolerated by the Academy, but celebrated.

AWARDS

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Amy Madigan

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A defining moment for horror came with Amy Madigan’s win for Best Supporting Actress in Weapons, where she delivered a chilling and unforgettable performance as Aunt Gladys — a character that has already cemented itself as an icon within the horror community.

Madigan’s victory places her among a rare group of performers who have won Oscars for roles in horror films, joining the likes of Fredric March, Ruth Gordon, Kathy Bates, Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, and Natalie Portman.

Her win is particularly notable because it marks the first acting Oscar for a horror villain in over three decades, with the last widely recognized example being Kathy Bates’ unforgettable performance in Misery in 1991.

The victory also sets a remarkable record for Madigan herself, representing one of the longest gaps between acting nominations in Academy history.

AWARDS

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Jessie Buckley

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Jessie Buckley delivered one of the most emotionally resonant performances of the year in Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, and her victory for Best Actress felt almost inevitable throughout the night.

Buckley made history as the first Irish actress to win the Oscar for Best Actress, adding another milestone to an already remarkable awards run. Prior to the Oscars, she had already secured the Golden Globe, BAFTA, SAG Award, and Critics Choice Award, making the Academy win the final exclamation point on a near-perfect awards season.

In her acceptance speech, Buckley dedicated the award to “the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart,” a sentiment that resonated deeply with the film’s themes of grief, motherhood, and creative legacy. The timing of the ceremony near Mother’s Day in the U.K. and Ireland gave the moment an added emotional weight.

With Hamnet, Buckley not only delivered a career-defining performance but also solidified her place among the most exciting actors working today.

AWARDS

Best Production Design: Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau

Best Costume Design: Kate Hawley

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, and Cliona Furey

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Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein dominated several of the evening’s technical and craft categories, showcasing the filmmaker’s commitment to practical artistry and old-school cinematic craftsmanship.

The production design, costume work, and intricate makeup effects all contributed to a richly realized gothic world that felt tangible and immersive. Unlike many modern blockbusters that rely heavily on digital environments, del Toro’s team leaned into practical effects, elaborate sets, and physical prosthetics to bring the iconic creature to life.

Actor Jacob Elordi, who portrayed the monster, reportedly spent more than 400 hours in the makeup chair, with over forty individual prosthetic pieces applied throughout the production.

Alongside Weapons and Sinners, Frankenstein represented another strong showing for horror storytelling at the Oscars — further evidence that the Academy may finally be broadening its definition of prestige cinema.

AWARDS

Best International Feature Film

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Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value reunited the director with Renate Reinsve, and the collaboration once again proved powerful.

The film stood out among this year’s international contenders for its intimate, character-driven storytelling and emotional nuance. While it had scattered nominations across several categories, it ultimately secured Best International Feature Film, a win that felt both expected and celebratory.

Given the intense competition in the category this year, the victory served as a reminder that quieter, deeply personal dramas still have a place within the global cinematic landscape.

AWARDS

Best Sound: Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, and Juan Peralta

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Joseph Kosinski’s F1 delivered one of the most technically impressive achievements of the night.

Beyond its sleek visuals and high-speed spectacle, the film’s sound design created an astonishingly immersive racing experience. Working in collaboration with Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes racing team, the filmmakers embedded tiny, heat-resistant microphones directly into the cars’ power units and cockpits.

This allowed the sound team to capture authentic mechanical vibrations and engine dynamics in real time, transforming the film into a masterclass in sonic storytelling.

AWARDS

Best Animated Feature Film

Best Music (Original Song): “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters – Music and lyrics by Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu-kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo, and Teddy Park

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Netflix had one of its biggest moments of the evening with KPop Demon Hunters.

The film made history as the first streaming-exclusive movie to win Best Animated Feature, marking a major milestone in the ongoing shift toward streaming-era filmmaking.

Its anthem, “Golden,” also achieved a historic victory as the first K-pop song ever to win an Academy Award. The song had already dominated pop culture throughout the previous year, becoming the first track since Eminem’s Lose Yourself to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 before winning the Oscar.

The film now stands as one of the most-watched releases in Netflix history — proof that global audiences are increasingly embracing animated storytelling beyond traditional studio systems.

AWARDS

Best Visual Effects: Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, and Daniel Barrett 

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James Cameron’s Avatar franchise continued its remarkable streak by winning Best Visual Effects for the third consecutive installment, making it the only series in Oscar history to achieve this feat.

For Fire and Ash, the visual effects team developed an entirely new simulation engine capable of rendering how volcanic ash interacts with the skin of Na’vi characters — reacting dynamically to sweat, movement, and environmental conditions.

The achievement represented a triumph of digital maximalism, standing in contrast to the practical craftsmanship celebrated by films like Frankenstein earlier in the evening.

The Biggest Snubs of the Night

Since I didn’t want this to become just another conventional winners list, it’s also worth highlighting several major snubs that could have made the ceremony even more interesting.

Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice was arguably the most glaring omission of the night.

The film had the potential to compete in multiple categories, blending a high-concept premise with timeless philosophical questions about humanity’s relationship with technology and modern labor.

Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident secured an International Feature nomination but deserved far greater recognition — particularly Mariam Afshari’s mesmerizing performance as Shiva, which could easily have contended in Supporting Actress.

While Emma Stone received a nomination for Bugonia, Jesse Plemons’ performance was strangely overlooked.

Holding his own against Stone in a film defined by surreal absurdity, Plemons anchored the chaos with a performance that balanced dark humor and existential dread.

Amanda Seyfried delivered one of the most ambitious performances of the year in The Testament of Ann Lee, a musical exploration of the Shaker movement and its enigmatic founder.

Her omission from the Best Actress lineup stands as one of the season’s most puzzling snubs.

Despite the film’s massive success, Chase Infiniti’s performance as Willa was notably absent from the nominations.

Given that her character embodies the rebellious youth at the heart of Anderson’s story, the omission feels especially surprising.

Eva Victor’s debut feature Sorry, Baby narrowly missed awards recognition, though her deeply personal performance and screenplay suggested a filmmaker with enormous promise.

Jennifer Lawrence delivered one of the boldest performances of her career in Die My Love, an emotionally raw exploration of postpartum depression and motherhood.

The absence of a nomination feels particularly surprising given the vulnerability and intensity she brought to the role.

If the 2026 Oscars proved anything, it’s that the Academy may be entering a period of transformation.

Political storytelling dominated the biggest categories. Horror and genre filmmaking earned unprecedented recognition. Streaming platforms continued reshaping distribution and viewership. And long-overdue artists finally stepped onto the stage to claim the recognition that had eluded them for years.

The ceremony ultimately reflected a film industry in transition — grappling with cultural uncertainty while also expanding the boundaries of what kinds of stories deserve prestige.

If this year’s winners are any indication, the future of cinema may belong to filmmakers who are willing to take risks, confront uncomfortable truths, and blur the lines between art-house drama, blockbuster spectacle, and genre experimentation.

And if that’s the direction the Oscars are heading, it might finally be a future worth paying close attention to.