The 2026 Oscars took place on March 15th, at the Dolby Theatre in LA. Conan O’Brein reprised his role as host for the second time. Awards were won, boundaries were broken, and speeches were cut off.
One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, won the most Oscars of the night. This film follows Bob, a former revolutionary, (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), as he is brought back into conflict after his enemy reappears. One Battle After Another won six Oscars, such as Best Picture. Cassandra Kulukundis also received the inaugural award for Best Casting for her work on this movie. The award for Best Casting is a new award that was added this year.
Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Micheal B. Jordan, received 16 nominations, and won Best Original Screenplay and Best Music (Original Score). Sinners, a horror musical, follows two twin brothers, both played by Jordan, as they return to their hometown. Jordan won Best Actor in a Leading Role for his role in Sinners. Autumn Durald Arkapaw also won Best Cinematography for her work in Sinners, and she became the first woman and the first black person to win this award. Frankenstein, an adaptation of the Mary Shelley novel, took home many awards for visual aesthetics, such as Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Production Design, and Best Costume Design.
Chloé Zhao received Best Director for her directing of Hamnet, a drama about the story behind Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. This was Zhao’s second time receiving the Best Director award. Jessie Buckley also won Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role in Hamnet. KPop Demon Hunters won Best Animated Feature Film, making it the first non Pixar/Disney animated movie to win two Oscars. KPop Demon Hunters also won Best Original Song, “Golden”. In a twist, two short films received the award for Best Live Action Short Film, which is the seventh time this has happened in Oscar history. The Singers and Two People Exchange Saliva both won this award.
In true awards show fashion, the night was not complete without some drama. During the acceptance speech for Best Original Song, “Golden”, one of the co-writers of the song, Yu Han Lee, was cut off during his speech due to playoff music. He attempted to speak over the music, but was ushered offstage and was unable to complete his speech. The cutoff was criticized on social media and drew large boos from the audience in the theater. The Voice of Hind Rajab, a nominee for Best International Feature Film, also became a subject of controversy when its lead actor, Motaz Malhees, a Palestinian man, could not attend the ceremony due to U.S entry restrictions on people from Palestine.
