“One Battle After Another” wins big
Film takes top Oscars at 2026 awards ceremony
The 2026 Academy Awards concluded in Los Angeles with One Battle After Another emerging as the evening’s dominant winner, taking Best Picture along with Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Paul Thomas Anderson and additional honors including Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn. Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor for Sinners, which also secured Best Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler and Best Cinematography for Autumn Durald Arkapaw. Jessie Buckley received Best Actress for Hamnet, dedicating the award to “the beautiful chaos of a mother's heart” in an emotional acceptance speech; she hugged co-star Paul Mescal and director Chloe Zhao onstage. Amy Madigan won Best Supporting Actress for Weapons.
Animated feature honors went to KPop Demon Hunters, which also took Best Original Song for “Golden.” The Norwegian film Sentimental Value won Best International Feature Film. Technical awards highlighted major studio spectacles and craft: Avatar: Fire and Ash earned Best Visual Effects, while F1 won Best Sound, underscoring the ceremony’s recognition of technological and design achievements alongside acting and writing.
The ceremony at the Dolby Theatre featured red carpet arrivals, musical performances, tributes to cinema figures and an In Memoriam segment. Winners delivered emotional speeches thanking collaborators and families, and the event continued the Academy’s trend of elevating diverse and international voices alongside mainstream productions. By night’s end, One Battle After Another was widely regarded as the defining film of the year, its multiple wins solidifying its status among the season’s most celebrated works and shaping awards-season momentum and global attention for the victorious films and artists.
