Conan O’Brien was back to host the 98th Academy Awards, and he delivered a comedic monologue and interstial quips like only he could. Opening the night with an Aunt Gladys themed venture through some of the most popular films of the Oscars season, and ending with an epilogue in ode to “One Battle After Another,” he was the best part of a celebratory night that mostly went as planned. Paul Thomas Anderson and “One Battle After Another” came out mostly unscathed, having avoided the dreaded frontrunner fatigue. Winning six awards from its thirteen nominations, it ended up with the Best Picture win over the record-breaking “Sinners.” The only category that “One Battle” won that was a complete surprise was the newly unveiled category of Best Casting, which had been a “Sinners” favorite all season. Paul Thomas Anderson ended up with a total of three Oscars to his name alone.
You can’t be mad about the “Sinners” haul, however, as Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan both walked away with gold, as did the composer Ludwig Göransson, who now has three Oscar wins, and the cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who became the first woman to ever win this award. It proved that the Academy might be waking up to the value of horror films. This included the first win of the night for Amy Madigan and her role in “Weapons.” Jessie Buckley won for her role in “Hamnet,” as most people expected, “KPop Demon Hunters” swept the Original Song and Animated Feature categories, and “Frankenstein” ended up winning three craft awards for Costume Design, Production Design, and Makeup & Hairstyling. The big surprises of the night were a tie in the Best Live Action Short Film category, splitting the wins between two of my favorites, “The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva.” In the Documentary Feature category, “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” upset Netflix’s “The Perfect Neighbor,” both of which had their debuts at the Sundance Film Festival. That’s a wrap on the 2025 awards season, and now we can begin to look forward at what 2026 and the 99th Academy Awards might have in store.
BEST PICTURE
Presented by Ewan McGregor & Nicole Kidman
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER • Warner Bros. Pictures
Paul Thomas Anderson | Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, Adam Somner, Sara Murphy | Producers
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“Bugonia” • Focus Features
“F1: The Movie” • Warner Bros. Pictures/Apple Original Films
“Frankenstein” • Netflix
“Hamnet” • Focus Features
“Marty Supreme” • A24
“The Secret Agent” • NEON
“Sentimental Value” • NEON
“Sinners” • Warner Bros. Pictures
“Train Dreams” • Netflix
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Presented by Adrien Brody
MICHAEL B. JORDAN
SINNERS • Warner Bros. Pictures
Ryan Coogler | Director
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler | Producers
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Timothée Chalamet – “Marty Supreme”
Leonardo DiCaprio – “One Battle After Another”
Ethan Hawke – “Blue Moon”
Wagner Moura – “The Secret Agent”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Presented by Mikey Madison
JESSIE BUCKLEY
HAMNET • Focus Features
Chloé Zhao | Director
Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Sam Mendes, Steven Spielberg | Producers
—
Rose Byrne – “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
Kate Hudson – “Song Sung Blue”
Renate Reinsve – “Sentimental Value”
Emma Stone – “Bugonia”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Presented by Kieran Culkin
SEAN PENN
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER • Warner Bros. Pictures
Paul Thomas Anderson | Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, Adam Somner, Sara Murphy | Producers
—
Benicio Del Toro – “One Battle After Another”
Jacob Elordi – “Frankenstein”
Delroy Lindo – “Sinners”
Stellan Skarsgård – “Sentimental Value”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Presented by Zoe Saldaña
AMY MADIGAN
WEAPONS • Warner Bros. Pictures / New Line Cinema
Zach Cregger | Director
Zach Cregger, Roy Lee, Miri Yoon, J. D. Lifshitz, Raphael Margules | Producers
—
Elle Fanning – “Sentimental Value”
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – “Sentimental Value”
Wunmi Mosaku – “Sinners”
Teyana Taylor – “One Battle After Another”
Best Animated Feature Film
Presented by Will Arnett & Channing Tatum
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS • Netflix
Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang | Directors
Michelle L.M. Wong | Producer
—
“Arco”
“Elio”
“Little Amélie or the Character of Rain”
“Zootopia 2”
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Presented by Will Arnett & Channing Tatum
THE GIRL WHO CRIED PEARLS •
National Film Board of Canada
Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski | Directors
Julie Roy, Marc Bertrand, Christine Noël | Producers
—
“Butterfly”
“Forevergreen”
“Retirement Plan”
“The Three Sisters”
Best Achievement in Casting
Presented by Gwyneth Paltrow, Chase Infiniti, Paul Mescal, Wagner Moura, & Delroy Lindo
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER • Warner Bros. Pictures
Casting by Cassandra Kulukundis
Paul Thomas Anderson | Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, Adam Somner, Sara Murphy | Producers
—
“Hamnet” – Nina Gold
“Marty Supreme” – Jennifer Venditti
“The Secret Agent” – Gabriel Domingues
“Sinners” – Francine Maisler
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Presented by Demi Moore
SINNERS • Warner Bros. Pictures
Cinematography by Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Ryan Coogler | Director
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler | Producers
—
“Frankenstein” – Dan Laustsen
“Marty Supreme” – Darius Khondji
“One Battle After Another” – Michael Bauman
“Train Dreams” – Adolpho Veloso
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Presented by Anne Hathaway & Anna Wintour
FRANKENSTEIN • Netflix
Costume Design by Kate Hawley
Guillermo del Toro | Director
Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale, Scott Stuber | Producers
—
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” – Deborah L. Scott
“Hamnet” – Malgosia Turzanska
“Marty Supreme” – Miyako Bellizzi
“Sinners” – Ruth E. Carter
Best Achievement in Directing
Presented by Zendaya & Robert Pattison
PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER • Warner Bros. Pictures
Paul Thomas Anderson, Adam Somner, Sara Murphy | Producers
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Ryan Coogler – “Sinners”
Josh Safdie – “Marty Supreme”
Joachim Trier – “Sentimental Value”
Chloé Zhao – “Hamnet”
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Presented by Jimmy Kimmel
MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN • Kino Lorber
David Borenstein | Director
Helle Faber | Producer
—
“The Alabama Solution”
“Come See Me in the Good Light”
“Cutting through Rocks”
“The Perfect Neighbor”
Best Documentary Short Film
Presented by Jimmy Kimmel
ALL THE EMPTY ROOMS • Netflix
Joshua Seftel | Director
Joshua Seftel, Conall Jones, James Costa, Trevor Burgess | Producers
—
“Armed Only With A Camera: The Life And Death Of Brent Renaud”
“Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”
“The Devil Is Busy”
“Perfectly A Strangeness”
Best Achievement in Film Editing
Presented by Bill Pullman & Lewis Pullman
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER • Warner Bros. Pictures
Editing by Andy Jurgensen
Paul Thomas Anderson | Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, Adam Somner, Sara Murphy | Producers
—
“F1: The Movie” – Stephen Mirrione
“Marty Supreme” – Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie
“Sentimental Value” – Olivier Bugge Coutté
“Sinners” – Michael P. Shawver
Best International Feature Film
Presented by Priyanka Chopra Jonas & Javier Bardem
SENTIMENTAL VALUE (Norway) • NEON
Joachim Trier | Director
Andrea Berentsen Ottmar, Maria Ekerhovd | Producers
—
“It Was Just An Accident” (France)
“The Secret Agent” (Brazil)
“Sirāt” (Spain)
“The Voice Of Hind Rajab” (Tunisia)
Best Live Action Short Film (TIE)
Presented by Kumail Nanjiani
The Singers • Netflix
Franz Böhm | Director
Hayder Rothschild Hoozeer | Producers
Best Live Action Short Film (TIE)
Presented by Kumail Nanjiani
Two People Exchanging Saliva • The New Yorker
Natalie Musteata, Alexandre Singh | Directors
Carol Cohen, Violeta Kreimer, Valentina Merli, Natalie Musteata, Alexandre Singh | Producers
—
“Butcher’s Stain”
“A Friend Of Dorothy”
“Jane Austen’s Period Drama”
Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling
Presented by Anne Hathaway & Anna Wintour
FRANKENSTEIN • Netflix
Makeup & Hairstyling by Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel & Cliona Furey
Guillermo del Toro | Director
Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale, Scott Stuber | Producers
—
“Kokuho”
“Sinners”
“The Smashing Machine”
“The Ugly Stepsister”
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)
Presented by Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, & Ellie Kemper
SINNERS • Warner Bros. Pictures
Composed by Ludwig Goransson
Ryan Coogler | Director
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler | Producers
—
“Bugonia” – Jerskin Fendrix
“Frankenstein” – Alexandre Desplat
“Hamnet” – Max Richter
“One Battle After Another” – Jonny Greenwood
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song)
Presented by Lionel Richie
“GOLDEN” from
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS • Netflix
Music & Lyrics by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak,
Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon and Teddy Park
Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang | Directors
Michelle L.M. Wong | Producers
—
“Dear Me” from “Diane Warren: Relentless” — Music and Lyrics by Diane Warren
“I Lied To You” from “Sinners” — Music and Lyrics by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson
“Train Dreams” from “Train Dreams” — Music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner, lyric by Nick Cave
“Sweet Dreams Of Joy” from “Viva Verdi!” — Music and Lyrics by Nicholas Pike
Best Achievement in Production Design
Presented by Pedro Pascal & Sigourney Weaver
FRANKENSTEIN • Netflix
Production Design by Tamara Deverell & Shane Vieau
Guillermo del Toro | Director
Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale, Scott Stuber | Producers
—
“Hamnet” – Fiona Crombie & Alice Felton
“Marty Supreme” – Jack Fisk & Adam Willis
“One Battle After Another” – Florencia Martin & Anthony Carlino
“Sinners” – Hannah Beachler & Monique Champagne
BEST sound
Presented by Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, & Ellie Kemper
F1: THE MOVIE •
Warner Bros. Pictures / Apple Original Films
Sound Design by Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle,
Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta
Joseph Kosinski | Director
Jerry Bruckheimer, Joseph Kosinski, Lewis Hamilton, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Chad Oman | Producers
—
“Frankenstein”
“One Battle After Another”
“Sinners”
“Sirāt”
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Presented by Pedro Pascal & Sigourney Weaver
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH • 20th Century Studios
Visual Effects by Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon & Daniel Barrett
James Cameron | Director
James Cameron, Jon Landau | Producers
—
“F1: The Movie”
“Jurassic World Rebirth”
“The Lost Bus”
“Sinners”
BEST WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
Presented by Robert Downey Jr. & Chris Evans
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER • Warner Bros. Pictures
Written by Paul Thomas Anderson
Based on “Vineland” by Thomas Pynchon
Paul Thomas Anderson | Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, Adam Somner, Sara Murphy | Producers
—
“Bugonia” – Will Tracy
“Frankenstein” – Guillermo del Toro
“Hamnet” – Chloé Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell
“Train Dreams” – Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
BEST WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
Presented by Robert Downey Jr. & Chris Evans
SINNERS • Warner Bros. Pictures
Written by Ryan Coogler
Ryan Coogler | Director
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler | Producers
—
“Blue Moon” – Robert Kaplow
“It Was Just An Accident” – Jafar Panahi, Nadedr Salvar, Shadmehr Rastin, & Mehdi Mahmoudian
“Marty Supreme” – Josh Safdie & Ronald Bronstein
“Sentimental Value” – Eskil Vogt & Joachim Trier
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