The 96th Academy Awards were a star-studded affair replete with surprises, snubs and sartorial elegance! With six nominations and one for best picture, the action movie One Battle After Another took home the most Oscars of the evening. Nevertheless, the evening marked several milestones, including Jessie Buckley's achievement as the first Irish actress to win Best Actress. Michael B. Jordan became just the sixth Black actor to win an Oscar, a remarkable feat considering the stiff competition. Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothée Chalamet were among the other strong contenders. Get ready for an in-depth look at the biggest night in film!
The fashion, the awards and the snark—Oscars 2026 Highlights
The opening address at the 2026 Oscars featured Conan O'Brien making a joke about being the final human host of the ceremony. "Next year, it will be a Waymo dressed as a tux." The second-time host then began the most anticipated night of the year in Hollywood, which would be filled with honours, touching moments, and perhaps even some historic firsts. Autumn Durald Arkapaw made history as the first woman to ever win the Academy Award for best cinematography for her work on Sinners. It was Paul Thomas Anderson's first Academy Award (or, more accurately, awards!). For her performance in Hamnet, Jessie Buckley was named best actress. The ladies from Bridesmaids got back together, and we saw Anne Hathaway and Anne Wintour making sure we are in line to catch The Devil Wears Prada 2 first day, first show!
Oscar's best dressed
The 98th Academy Awards red carpet blended classic Hollywood glamour with modern fashion statements. Anne Hathaway stunned in a floral tapestry gown with Bulgari diamonds, while Priyanka Chopra paired elegance with a dramatic Dior slit dress alongside Nick Jonas. Michael B. Jordan kept it sharp in an all-black look, and Timothée Chalamet embraced a bold white Givenchy suit. Kate Hudson dazzled in jade Armani Privé, Chris Evans opted for timeless tailoring, and Emma Stone delivered minimalist Louis Vuitton elegance.
Oscars winners list
The Oscars introduce a new category—Best Casting
With the introduction of the Best Casting category, Paul Mescal, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Chase Infiniti were allowed to shine as the Oscars announced the nominations for casting directors. This was a wonderful opportunity to show appreciation for the three biggest acting snubs of the season by letting them present their casting directors.
Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay go to One Battle After Another
The competition between "Sinners" and "One Battle After Another" for the season's top prize intensified as the season went on. Many would have been surprised by the eventual winner of the award. Despite "Sinners" receiving an unprecedented number of nominations, "Battle" emerged victorious with six overall victories to four. The film's conceptualizer, Paul Thomas Anderson, won an Academy Award for best adapted screenplay and was also selected as best director.
Jessie Buckley wins her first Oscar for Hamnet
As she accepted her trophy, Jessie Buckley, who played William Shakespeare's wife Agnes in Hamnet, wept and laughed. She expressed her gratitude to the other nominees, calling them the "incredible women I stand beside," and expressed her desire to collaborate with each and every one of them, saying, "I am inspired by your heart." "Teaching us to dream and to carve from your passion," she continued, praising her parents. Buckley also thanked her director Chloe Zhao and writer Maggie O'Farrell for "letting me know this incandescent woman and journey to understand the capacity of a mother's love".
Michael B. Jordan awarded Best Actor
Early on, Timothée Chalamet's performance in Marty Supreme established him as the category king, although Michael B. Jordan's dual role in Sinners gained significant traction. No statues were awarded to Marty Supreme at the conclusion of the night. Jordan becomes only the 6th African American actor to be awarded an Academy award in this category!
The first woman of colour wins the award for Best Cinematography
For her work on Sinners Autumn Durald Arkapaw was named best cinematographer. One Battle After Another faced off against Sinners, as was the case with most races this season. Conversely, Arkapaw made history as the first woman of colour to win the top lensing prize.
Hollywood greats pick up awards for Best Supporting Actors
The supporting actor awards were presented to Sean Penn for his portrayal of a bigoted soldier driven to join a secret society in One Battle After Another to Amy Madigan for her stunning performance as a witch in Weapons, adorned with some of the most outrageous makeup ever seen onscreen. Penn, who had already won for "Milk" and "Mystic River," was the fourth male performer to receive three Oscars; the others were Daniel Day-Lewis, Jack Nicholson, and Walter Brennan. However, he failed to appear to receive his award. Twice in a Lifetime (1985) was Madigan's last Oscar nomination as a character performer. Accepting her awards, Madigan pointed, "It’s been 40 years, and, you know, what’s different about this time? What’s different is this little gold guy,”
K-Pop Demon Hunters wins big at the Oscars
The most-watched film on Netflix, KPop Demon Hunters took up two awards: best animated movie and best original song, for the song "Golden." As she emphasised the significance of the animated feature's triumph as a moment for representation, co-director Maggie Kang fought back tears. She said, “I’m so sorry that it took us so long to see us in a movie like this. But it is here. And that means that the next generations don’t have to go longing. This is for Korea and for Koreans everywhere.”