The 98th Academy Awards have delivered their verdict, and award season comes to a close with One Battle After Another winning the evening’s top prize.
The film won a total of six Oscars (out of 13 nominations) and beat its main competitor Sinners to win Best Picture.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s politically charged serio-comedy, which topped our favourite films of 2025, joins the likes of All About Eve, The Godfather: Part II and The Hurt Locker in taking home six Academy Awards.
In our review of One Battle After Another, we wrote: "It’s heartening to see that there are still studios out there willing to grant creative freedom and bankroll such daring and entertaining cinema – which, on paper, may read like lunacy. So, Viva la Revolución, down with the Christmas Adventurers, and bring on awards season. We’re betting that One Battle After Another will steamroll its way to Oscar glory, with voters recognising that this new PTA classic deserves all the trophies."
Hate to say we told you so.
Paul Thomas Anderson won his first Best Director Oscar (yes, he never won one before – not even for his string of critically acclaimed movies like There Will Be Blood, The Master, Phantom Thread...), as well as Best Adapted Screenplay.
Movingly, PTA thanked his wife, Maya Rudolph, and shared that he wrote the film for his children. “I wrote this movie to my kids to say sorry for the housekeeping mess in this world that we’re handing off to them.” He then expressed hope that their generation can redeem the sins of ours.
The film also won Best Supporting Actor (more on that in a bit), Best Editing, and the Academy’s inaugural Best Casting award.
Its main competitor of the evening (and indeed, during all of awards season), Ryan Coogler’s vampire horror Sinners, made Oscar history by being nominated for a record-breaking 16 categories. Sadly, the film couldn’t live up to its historic number of nominations but did win four Oscars, including Best Actor (Michael B. Jordan), Best Score, and Coogler won Best Original Screenplay.
Michael B. Jordan thanked his parents for his win, in what was probably the most competitive Best Actor race in years (Timothee Chalamet, Marty Supreme; Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another; Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent; and Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon).
Perhaps most notably, Sinners' Autumn Durald Arkapaw won Best Cinematography - a historic win, as she becomes the first woman to win this traditionally male-dominated field. It's a first in the Oscars 98 years.
Scroll down for the full list of this year’s winners – 20 out of 24 which we predicted correctly – not that we were keeping count or feeling particularly smug about the results or anything...
As we predicted (sorry, we’re on this again), Jessie Buckley won Best Actress for her role in Hamnet, while Sean Penn won Best Supporting Actor for his terrifying yet goofy performance as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw in One Battle After Another – one of his finest roles in years. He becomes the fourth male actor to win three acting Oscars (joining Daniel Day-Lewis, Jack Nicholson, and Walter Brennan).
However, Penn couldn’t be there (or chose not to come to the ceremony, as he’s been skipping quite a few award ceremonies lately)... Happy for him, but bit of a bummer he was a no-show.
Much less of a bummer was the win for Best Supporting Actress, which went to Amy Madigan for her villainous (and instantly iconic) Aunt Gladys in Weapons. It was something of a comeback role for Madigan, 75, who sets the record for the longest gap between a first nomination and a first win - a stretch of 40 years since her nomination in 1986 for Twice in a Lifetime.
She accepted the award with some manic laughter and delivered a delightful speech, during which she admitted to being “a little flummoxed (...) Ooh, my legs are shaking” and thanked her husband Ed Harris for being with her “for a long ass time!”
Another big winner of the evening was Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, which went home with 3 Oscars: Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Production Design.
Elsewhere, Marty Supreme, nominated nine times, went home empty-handed, while the stunning The Secret Agent and one of our favourite films of 2025, Sirāt, sadly brought no Oscars back to Brasil and Spain respectively.
On the European front, Joachim Trier earned a whopping nine nominations for Sentimental Value and only went home with one trophy (Best International Feature) - failing to become the most awarded international production at the Oscars. That said, Sentimental Value is Norway’s first win in this category.
Trier powerfully quoted American writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin in his acceptance speech, saying he "makes us remember all adults are responsible for all children - let's not vote for politicians who don't take this seriously into account".
Standout moments: Conan’s monologue & some Timmy bashing
Conan’s hilarious opening monologue was prefaced by a skit that saw the host caked in Weapons’ Aunt Gladys make-up.
“I look like Bette Davis with Lupus,” he quipped, before getting chased by kids, soundtracked to Beastie Boys’ ‘Sabotage’. He ran through a montage of Best Picture nominee scenes (and KPop Demon Hunters) and it was quite brilliant.
“I’m honoured to be the last human host of the Oscars,” he said – one of the many digs at the rise of AI.
There were also digs aimed at Donald Trump; the nightmare that is the American healthcare system; how at least the British “arrest their paedophiles” (but don’t have any actors in acting categories this year); and how security was especially tight during the evening because of threats from the "ballet and opera communities" - a hot topic reference at the backlash surrounding Best Actor nominee Timothée Chalamet and his comments about how "no-one cares" about ballet or opera any more.
“Tonight could get political – there's an alternative Oscars hosted by Kid Rock,” he added, referring to the alternative Super Bowl MAGA show.
He ended on a hopeful note about embracing global artistry and “that rarest of qualities in chaotic and frightening times: optimism” - before another skit about what it would look like if he ever won an Oscar. That included Josh Groban singing while he accepted an Oscar from an eagle...
Just make him the permanent host already.
Music goodness and a sly Timmy dig
Sinners brought the house down with a performance of ‘I Lied To You’ from movie’s star Miles Caton, who sang alongside singers Shaboozey and Brittany Howard.
Ballerina Misty Copeland danced on stage during the performance, after she called out Timothée Chalamet after he said "no-one cares" any more about ballet and opera.
Copeland responded that Chalamet "wouldn't be an actor" without them, highlighting she had actually been invited to be part of the huge publicity for his film, Marty Supreme.
A rare tie
It’s an extremely rare occurrence: there have only been six ties in the Academy's vote in Oscar history, and this year was the seventh.
Best Live Action Short Film went to both The Singers (Sam A. Davis and Jack Piatt) and Two People Exchanging Saliva (Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata). Both are fantastic – choose to seek them out.
There was another mention of ballet during the second acceptance speech... Timmy wasn’t getting off the hook that easy - and clearly won’t be any time soon.
And in case you were wondering, the last tie happened in 2012 for Best Sound Editing for both Skyfall and Zero Dark Thirty.
Moving tributes to Rob Reiner, Catherine O’Hara, Diane Keaton and Robert Redford
During a very moving In Memoriam section, Billy Crystal took to the stage to share an affecting speech about director Rob Reiner; Rachel McAdams spoke about the great Catherine O’Hara and the much-missed Diane Keaton; Barbra Streisand made a surprise appearence and shared how she misses her “intellectual cowboy” Robert Redford. She then sang ‘The Way We Were’ in his memory.
Jimmy Kimmel vs Trump
Jimmy Kimmel showed up to present the documentary awards. He lauded the nominees for their fearless reporting, noting that there are places where free speech is suppressed.
"I'm not at liberty to say which," Kimmel said, then named North Korea and US TV network CBS – which axed Stephen Colbert's late night show last year, as it settled a lawsuit with Donald Trump.
When presenting the award for Best Documentary, Kimmel said "he" will be mad that his wife wasn't nominated – an obvious dig at the dire Amazon documentary on Melania Trump, Melania.
Javier Bardem calls for 'free Palestine'
Spanish actor Javier Bardem co-presented Best International Feature Film by saying: "No to war and free Palestine".
Bardem has been especially outspoken for Palestine over the last few years amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
From Oscar red carpet... to prison?
Iranian director Jafar Panahi may have gone home empty-handed for his stunning It Was Just An Accident, but his presence at the Oscars was a sobering reminder that the ceremony was taking place against the backdrop of political turbulence and war.
His film is an engrossing thriller that explores the consequences of torture, the price of revenge, and whether mercy is possible. Panahi masterfully injects some bleak comedy and even slapstick elements to craft a satirical road-trip which critiques the Islamist Republic’s repression and functions as a timeless commentary of the sins of state despotism.
He has said that he intends to return home to Iran after awards season, and he will most likely serve a prison sentence, as the dissident director got a one-year sentence in absentia for "propaganda activities" against Iran's government last year for making It Was Just An Accident.
Here is the full list of this year’s Oscar winners:
Best Picture
- WINNER: One Battle After Another
- Bugonia
- F1
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- The Secret Agent
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
- Train Dreams
Best Director
- WINNER: Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
- Chloé Zhao, Hamnet
- Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
- Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
- Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Actor in a Leading Role
- WINNER: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
- Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
- Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
- Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
- Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
Actress in a Leading Role
- WINNER: 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
Actor in a Supporting Role
- WINNER: Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
- Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another
- Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
- Delroy Lindo, Sinners
- Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value
Actress in a Supporting Role
- WINNER: Amy Madigan, Weapons
- Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value
- Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners
- Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
Adapted Screenplay
- WINNER: One Battle After Another
- Bugonia
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Train Dreams
Original Screenplay
- WINNER: Sinners
- Blue Moon
- It Was Just an Accident
- Marty Supreme
- Sentimental Value
International Feature Film
- WINNER: Sentimental Value
- The Secret Agent
- It Was Just an Accident
- Sirat
- The Voice of Hind Rajab
Documentary Feature Film
- WINNER: Mr. Nobody Against Putin
- The Alabama Solution
- Come See Me in the Good Light
- Cutting Through Rocks
- The Perfect Neighbor
Animated Feature Film
- WINNER: KPop Demon Hunters
- Arco
- Elio
- Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
- Zootopia 2
Achievement in Casting
- WINNER: One Battle After Another (Cassandra Kulukundis)
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- The Secret Agent
- Sinners
Cinematography
- WINNER: Sinners (Autumn Durald Arkapaw)
- Frankenstein
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- Train Dreams
Film Editing
- WINNER: One Battle After Another (Andy Jurgensen)
- F1
- Marty Supreme
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
Production Design
- WINNER: Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- Sinners
Original Score
- WINNER: Sinners (Ludwig Goransson)
- Bugonia
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- One Battle After Another
Original Song
- WINNER: “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters
- “Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless
- “I Lied to You” from Sinners
- “Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdi
- “Train Dreams” from Train Dreams
Sound
- WINNER: F1 (Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta)
- Frankenstein
- One Battle After Another
- Sinners
- Sirat
Visual Effects
- WINNER: Avatar: Fire and Ash
- F1
- Jurassic World Rebirth
- The Lost Bus
- Sinners
Makeup and Hairstyling
- WINNER: Frankenstein (Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey)
- Kokuho
- Sinners
- The Smashing Machine
- The Ugly Stepsister
Costume Design
- WINNER: Frankenstein (Kate Hawley)
- Avatar: Fire and Ash
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- Sinners
Live Action Short Film
- WINNER: TIE: The Singers & Two People Exchanging Saliva
- Butcher’s Stain
- A Friend of Dorothy
- Jane Austen’s Period Drama
Documentary Short Film
- WINNER: All the Empty Rooms
- 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
Animated Short Film
- WINNER: The Girl Who Cried Pearls
- Butterfly
- Forevergreen
- Retirement Plan
- The Three Sisters
