By Gabriel Solis
2026 Oscars highlights: ‘One Battle After Another’ prevails, ‘Marty Supreme’ shut out
On Sunday, March 15, the film industry gathered for the 98th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. It was an evening full of surprises, triumph, and disappointment. View the highlights below.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s first Oscar…then his second and third
Veteran filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson took home the prize for Best Director for his critically acclaimed film “One Battle After Another,” marking his first win in 14 Oscar nominations. Later in the evening, he was also awarded Best Adapted Screenplay. The film went on to receive Best Picture, a third statue for Anderson, and the night’s highest honor, as well as Best Film Editing and the newly-minted Achievement in Casting award. Cast member Sean Penn netted a win for Best Supporting Actor, although he was not in attendance at the ceremony, instead using the day to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine.
“Sinners” is not left out
Ryan Coogler’s generational hit “Sinners” received four awards, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Achievement in Cinematography (for cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the first woman to take the prize), and Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, whose emotional remarks following his win were one of the highlights of the evening. Best Original Song nominee “I Lied To You,” from the film, was performed by a star-studded band including the cast’s own Miles Caton and Buddy Guy as well as dancer Misty Copeland, rapper Shaboozey, and guitarist Kingfish.
“KPop Demon Hunters” takes two
“KPop Demon Hunters” took home Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for the smash-hit “Golden,” which was also performed at the ceremony. This marks the first time in history that a K-pop track has been awarded Best Original Song.
“Marty Supreme” goes home empty-handed
Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme” was nominated for nine awards, including Best Actor and Best Picture. Despite a highly aggressive and controversial marketing campaign, the film took home nothing. Best Actor nominee Timothée Chalamet received a pointed barb from host Conan O’Brien about his recent comments concerning the declining popularity of opera and ballet.
A rare tie
For the first time in over a decade, the ceremony featured an exact tie (the seventh in history) between Best Live Action Short Film nominees “The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva.” “The Singers” received their award first, marking the first win for director Sam A. Davis (of Potterville, MI, no less), who shouted out his hometown in his speech. “Two People Exchanging Saliva” filmmaker Alexandre Singh also alluded to Chalamet’s comments about ballet in his speech.
Politics abound
The evening was marked by several political moments.
At the opening of the ceremony, host Conan O’Brien jokingly warned viewers that those uncomfortable with politics could instead watch an “alternate Oscars being hosted by Kid Rock,” which he said would be held at “the Dave and Busters down the street.” This was in reference to Turning Point USA’s alternate Super Bowl halftime show, which featured Kid Rock as its headliner. O’Brien also acknowledged the lack of British actors nominated for Best Actor or Best Actress, joking that “a British spokesperson said, ‘Yeah, well, at least we arrest our pedophiles.’”
Presenter and F1 star Javier Bardem wore lapel pins stating, “No a la guerra” (“No to war”) and “Free Palestine,” sentiments he echoed during his remarks.
The creative team behind “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” a documentary about the propaganda issued to children by the Russian government after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, used their acceptance speech for Best Documentary to speak out against the war and compare the situation in the U.S. to that in Russia at the time.
The team behind “All The Empty Rooms,” a documentary short about the bedrooms of school shooting victims, used theirs to speak out against gun violence, bringing the mother of one of the victims up onto the stage.
Presenter Jimmy Kimmel, introducing Best Documentary, spoke about the ability that documentary filmmaking can have to stand up to power, before taking a jab at “Melania,” the controversial Amazon documentary about the first lady. Kimmel also swiped at CBS, implying that the broadcaster does not support free speech amidst the cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
“Sentimental Value” director Joachim Trier, who won the prize for Best International Feature, said in his speech, “All adults are responsible for all children. Let’s not vote for politicians who don’t take this seriously.”
Perhaps the most poignant political sentiment of the night came from Paul Thomas Anderson, who said while accepting the award for Best Adapted Screenplay, “I wrote this movie for my kids, to say sorry for the housekeeping mess that we left in this world we’re handing off to them. But also with the encouragement that they will hopefully be the generation that brings us some common sense and decency.”
A long “In Memoriam”
This year’s “In Memoriam” segment began with a heartfelt tribute to Rob Reiner from his longtime friend and collaborator, Billy Crystal. Reiner was tragically murdered late last year, along with his wife and collaborator Michelle Singer. The couple’s son, Nick Reiner, has pleaded not guilty to his parents’ killings. After a long speech, Crystal was joined by a myriad of other actors who have starred in Reiner’s films to honor their friend and begin the rest of the unusually packed segment, which also included personalized tributes to actors Robert Redford and Diane Keaton.
