HIGHLIGHTS AND WINNERS AT THE 2026 OSCARS: A NIGHT HOLLYWOOD WILL NOT FORGET

editor RAZ MARTINEZ

Some nights at the Oscars are about the awards. This one was about history.

One Battle After Another took home six Oscars, the most of the night, including Best Picture and Best Director. Paul Thomas Anderson claimed both, marking his first ever wins in either category. It was a long time coming and the room felt it.

feature image via REUTERS/Mike Blake

Sinners came into the evening having already broken the record for the most nominations ever received by a single film with 16 total nods. By the end of the night it was clear that the record was only the beginning. Ryan Coogler took home Best Original Screenplay, becoming only the second Black filmmaker to win that category, joining Jordan Peele who won for Get Out. The weight of that moment was felt across the entire Dolby Theatre.

Michael B. Jordan at the podium for Best Actor was one of the most quietly powerful moments of the evening. No theatrics. Just stillness and gratitude. The kind of acceptance speech that stays with you.

Autumn Durald Arkapaw made history of her own, becoming the first woman ever to win Best Cinematography for her work on Sinners. Two historic wins for one film in a single night. That does not happen often.

The evening also delivered one of its most unexpected moments when Best Live Action Short ended in a tie between The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva. The Dolby Theatre does not see many ties. This one will be remembered.

The night also paused for tributes to stars lost in the past year, including Rob Reiner, Robert Redford, Diane Keaton and Catherine O’Hara. A Bridesmaids reunion brought Rose Byrne, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Ellie Kemper and Melissa McCarthy together on stage. A Marvel reunion followed with Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans. These were the moments between the moments. The ones that remind you why this night still matters.

And then there was Jessie Buckley. She walked the red carpet in custom Chanel, wrapped red bodice and a sweeping pink train, and then walked back to her seat with the Oscar for Best Actress for Hamnet. She dressed like a winner before anyone told her she was one.

THE WINNERS

Best Picture — One Battle After Another

Bugonia / F1 / Frankenstein / Hamnet / Marty Supreme / The Secret Agent / Sentimental Value / Sinners / Train Dreams

Best Director — Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

Chloé Zhao, Hamnet / Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme / Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value / Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Best Actor — Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme / Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another / Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon / Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

Best Actress — Jessie Buckley, Hamnet

Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You / Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue / Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value / Emma Stone, Bugonia

Best Supporting Actor — Sean Penn, One Battle After Another

Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another / Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein / Delroy Lindo, Sinners / Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value

Best Supporting Actress — Amy Madigan, Weapons

Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value / Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value / Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners / Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another

Best Original Screenplay — Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Robert Kaplow, Blue Moon / Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident / Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme / Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value

Best Adapted Screenplay — Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

Will Tracy, Bugonia / Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins, Frankenstein / Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet / Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, Train Dreams

Best Cinematography — Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Sinners

Dan Laustsen, Frankenstein / Darius Khondji, Marty Supreme / Michael Bauman, One Battle After Another / Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams

Best Film Editing — Andy Jurgensen, One Battle After Another

Stephen Mirrione, F1 / Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme / Olivier Bugge Coutté, Sentimental Value / Michael P. Shawver, Sinners

Best Original Score — Ludwig Goransson, Sinners

Jerskin Fendrix, Bugonia / Alexandre Desplat, Frankenstein / Max Richter, Hamnet / Jonny Greenwood, One Battle After Another

Best Original Song — “Golden,” Kpop Demon Hunters

“Dear Me,” Diane Warren: Relentless / “I Lied to You,” Sinners / “Sweet Dreams of Joy,” Viva Verdi! / “Train Dreams,” Train Dreams

Best Animated Feature — Kpop Demon Hunters

Arco / Elio / Little Amélie or the Character of Rain / Zootopia 2

Best Animated Short — The Girl Who Cried Pearls

Butterfly / Forevergreen / Retirement Plan / The Three Sisters

Best Live Action Short — TIE: The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva

Butcher’s Stain / A Friend of Dorothy / Jane Austen’s Period Drama

Best Documentary Feature — Mr. Nobody Against Putin

The Alabama Solution / Come See Me in the Good Light / Cutting Through Rocks / The Perfect Neighbor

Best Documentary Short — All the Empty Rooms

Armed Only With a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud / Children No More / The Devil Is Busy / Perfectly a Strangeness

Best International Feature — Sentimental Value, Norway

The Secret Agent, Brazil / It Was Just an Accident, France / Sirât, Spain / The Voice of Hind Rajab, Tunisia

Best Visual Effects — Avatar: Fire and Ash

F1 / Frankenstein / Sinners / One Battle After Another

Best Sound — F1

Frankenstein / Hamnet / One Battle After Another / Sinners

Best Costume Design — Kate Hawley, Frankenstein

Deborah L. Scott, Avatar: Fire and Ash / Malgosia Turzanska, Hamnet / Miyako Bellizzi, Marty Supreme / Ruth E. Carter, Sinners

Best Production Design — Frankenstein

Avatar: Fire and Ash / F1 / Hamnet / Sinners

Best Makeup and Hairstyling — Frankenstein

Kokuho / Sinners / The Smashing Machine / The Ugly Steps

Best Casting — Cassandra Kulukundis, One Battle After Another

Nina Gold, Hamnet / Jennifer Venditti, Marty Supreme / Gabriel Domingues, The Secret Agent / Francine Maisler, Sinners