The 98th Academy Awards concluded another stacked year in film. Comedian Conan O’Brien hosted the awards for the second year in a row, setting the stage for the film industry’s best and brightest stars to laugh, cry and remember to thank agents and mothers in their acceptance speeches.
Here are a few of the highlights from inside the Dolby Theater.
‘One Battle After Another’ cast and crew’s big sweep
Paul Thomas Anderson’s action-comedy epic about an ex-revolutionary attempting to save his daughter from a corrupt military officer won big at this year’s ceremony, winning six of its 13 nominated categories, including Best Picture. Anderson himself won Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, the latter of which was his first Academy Award.
The film’s editor, Andy Jurgensen, took home the award for Best Film Editing.
Actor Sean Penn — who was not in attendance — won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the film’s antagonist, Col. Steven J. Lockjaw.
The film’s casting director, Cassandra Kulukundis, was the recipient of Best Casting, the first new Oscar category since the introduction of Best Animated Feature in 2001.
History made by winners
This year saw several first–time winners: Michael B. Jordan for Best Actor, Jessie Buckley for Best Actress, Amy Madigan for Best Supporting Actress and Ryan Coogler for Best Original Screenplay.
“Sinners” cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman and first woman of color to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Arkapaw is of Filipino descent on her mother’s side and African American Creole on her father’s side.
“Golden” from the Netflix animated musical “KPop Demon Hunters” took home the award for Best Original Song, making it the first K-pop song to win in this category.
This year’s Best Live Action Short Film category ended in a tie, with “The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva” each taking home an Oscar. Their simultaneous win marks the seventh tie in Oscars history. The last time this happened was in 2013, when “Skyfall” and “Zero Dark Thirty” both won the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing.
High-energy performances from the casts of ‘Sinners’ and ‘KPop Demon Hunters’
The casts of “Sinners” and “KPop Demon Hunters” dazzled this year’s ceremony with stunning performances that showcased why their respective songs deserved to be nominated for Best Original Song.
“Sinners” star Miles Canton led a performance of “I Lied to You,” bringing with him a stage production that showcased elements of both the film and Black music. He was joined by his fellow castmates, as well as rock musician Brittany Howard, country music artist Shaboozey and ballet dancer Misty Copeland.
Musicians EJAE, Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna performed a shortened version of the hit “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters.” The trio brought K-pop and Korean culture to the crowd at the Dolby Theater, even involving the audience in keeping the energy high by distributing light wands to wave throughout the performance.
Moving tributes honor Rob Reiner, Diane Keaton and more
This year’s In Memoriam reflected on the careers and impact of the actors, directors and creative forces who died this past year.
Actor Billy Crystal paid tribute to director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, who were murdered in their Los Angeles home in December. Reiner directed Crystal in “When Harry Met Sally.” Crystal later appeared alongside other former cast members in Reiner’s films, including “The Princess Bride” stars Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin.
Rachel McAdams gave a moving speech about her “The Family Stone” co-star Diane Keaton, who died in October. McAdams described Keaton as “a legend with no end.”
In the finale of the Memoriam, Barbra Streisand recounted her days filming “The Way We Were” with her co-star Robert Redford, who died in September. Streisand also spoke about Redford’s legacy as an activist and creative pioneer behind the Sundance Institute before singing a rendition of the film’s title song.
Powerful statements from winners and presenters
Though the Academy Awards are mainly a celebration of film, many of the night’s winners and presenters did not shy away from shining a light on today’s political climate.
While presenting the award for Best International Feature Film, actor Javier Bardem condemned the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict and called for a free Palestine.
In his acceptance speech for Best Documentary Feature Film, “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” director David Borenstein spoke out against autocratic governments and oligarchs that aim to censor the media. The documentary’s subject, Pavel Talakin, called for an end to all ongoing wars and conflicts worldwide.
“All the Empty Rooms” — a half-hour Netflix documentary that memorializes children killed in school shootings by showing their quiet and untouched bedrooms — won the award for Best Documentary Short Film. Gloria Cazares, whose daughter Jackie was killed in the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting in 2022, accepted the award along with the film’s directors Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones.
“We believe that if the world could see their empty bedrooms, we’d be a different America,” Cazares said in her speech.
A full list of winners is available on the official Oscars website.
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