Takeaways from Hollywood’s Biggest Night
As the 98th Academy Awards finally took place, we look back at what has been an amazing year for film.
The show itself took a few missteps, cutting off some acceptance speeches in favour of prolonged comedy bits. However, the night overall felt like the celebration of the past year in film that the Oscars should always strive to be, and what a great year it was. As Paul Thomas Anderson said at the BAFTAs:
“Anybody that says movies aren’t any good anymore can piss right off.”
Here are some of the highlights from the night:
Ryan Coogler Wins His First Oscar
The award for Best Original Screenplay went to the man behind Sinners, and it is truly his movie. Inspired by the blues and set in 1930s Mississippi, Sinners draws on some of Coogler’s personal experiences.
It was good to see that Coogler would definitely go home with a well-deserved Oscar for the film. There is no doubt that he will be back to pick up that directing award in the near future; he is still only in his 30s and only getting better as a filmmaker. The success of Sinners should ensure he will be able to make whatever he wants.
3 Time Oscar Winner Ludwig Göransson
Coogler has continued to work with a close group of peers, including longtime friend and collaborator Ludwig Göransson. The pair were roommates at university, and Göransson has scored all of his films, including Oscar-winning work for Black Panther and now Sinners. With their latest film being so musically strong, this win felt somewhat inevitable.
Göransson is also a regular collaborator of Christopher Nolan, and his work on Oppenheimer is what earned him his second Oscar two years ago. With The Odyssey set to be a huge release this summer, Göransson could stand a real chance of back-to-back wins.
Autumn Durald Arkapaw Becomes the First Woman to Win an Oscar for Cinematography
Having become the first woman of colour to be nominated for Best Cinematography, Autumn Durald Arkapaw made further history as the first woman ever to win the award. This marked a long-overdue milestone for women in film that should encourage further recognition in the future. During her acceptance speech, Arkapaw asked all the women in the room to stand, stating that she wouldn’t be where she is without them, a touching moment that was met with huge applause.
“I don't get here without you guys.”
After falling in love with test footage, Arkapaw and Coogler decided to shoot exclusively on film, using two different camera systems during a challenging production. Sinners marked the first time that a film has combined the 70mm IMAX and Ultra Panavision 70 formats.
Michael B. Jordan, the Most Popular Winner of the Night?
With so many great performances in 2025, including standouts such as Jesse Plemons in Bugonia, not even nominated, Lead Actor was perhaps the most open race of the night. Despite not being heavily tipped throughout the year, it was his first nomination and first win for Michael B. Jordan for his performance as twin brothers Smoke and Stack in Sinners, and he proved to be a hugely popular winner.
In addition to the obvious technical challenges of playing two characters in the same scene, a crucial part of Michael B. Jordan’s Sinners performance was clearly differentiating the twins, something that the film itself hinges on. Jordan has described his meticulous preparation, including writing detailed diaries to understand backgrounds and perspectives, and while filming, he wore different-sized shoes for each character to help define their physical movements and mannerisms.
A Win for Weapons and a Record for Amy Madigan
Best Supporting Actress was another unpredictable category heading into the Oscars, with the Golden Globes, BAFTA Awards and Actor Awards all having different winners. Amy Madigan picked up gold on the night, having already set a new record for the longest gap between nominations for an actress.
Although Madigan as Aunt Gladys was an instantly memorable performance, this was another win that was not widely predicted when Weapons hit cinemas last August and can certainly be seen as a big victory for the horror genre.
Jessie Buckley Sweeps
There was one category throughout awards season that did feel wrapped up from the very beginning, and that was Best Actress. Jessie Buckley’s performance in Hamnet was nothing short of spectacular. Having already claimed gold at the Golden Globes, the Critics’ Choice awards, the BAFTAs and the Actor Awards, Buckley became the first Irish winner of Best Actress at the Oscars. In her acceptance speech, she dedicated her win to “the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart.” Fittingly, the ceremony took place on Mother’s Day in Ireland and the UK.
PTA Finally Gets His Oscar
Going into the ceremony, Paul Thomas Anderson had 14 Oscar nominations to his name without a single win. Those nominations have come over the course of almost 30 years for films such as Boogie Nights, Magnolia, There Will Be Blood and Phantom Thread. We often see the Academy award those who are “overdue,” whilst the work itself is perhaps not up there with the recipient’s best. For example, Martin Scorsese won for The Departed despite being nominated for Goodfellas 16 years prior. There is no doubt that PTA should have had an Oscar in his hand before now, but there is a very compelling case to be made that One Battle After Another is his finest work.
Paul Thomas Anderson picked up the awards for best adapted screenplay, best director and best picture on the night.
One Battle After Another Wins Best Picture
It’s always nice when a widely agreed film of the year goes on to win Best Picture. In the case of One Battle, it is truly one of the films of our time despite being written over the course of 20 years. PTA has said it felt like he was waiting for Chase Infiniti to make the film, having reportedly taken 8 years to cast the role of Willa with casting director Cassandra Kulukundis, who is now also an Oscar winner. Chase Infiniti landed the role after 6 months of callbacks, which included karate classes and shaving Leonardo DiCaprio’s face. In her first feature, she delivers a truly amazing performance that helps to deliver the emotional arc of the film.
When picking up his award for adapted screenplay, Paul Thomas Anderson said:
“I wrote this movie for my kids to say sorry for the housekeeping mess that we left in this world we’re handing off to them, but also with the encouragement that they will be the generation that hopefully brings us some common sense and decency.”
With the Oscars excitement over, the book is closed on this year’s awards season. It has been a truly incredible year for film. However, Cannes is just over 6 weeks away. The dust will settle quickly; it won’t be long before it all starts again, and from what we know already, 2026 promises to be another great year.