The action-thriller black comedy "One Battle After Another" achieved a major victory at the 98th Academy Awards, winning 6 awards including the top honors of Best Picture and Best Director, beating major competitor "Sinners," which took home 4 awards.
Paul Thomas Anderson, a master filmmaker of contemporary cinema, earned 3 Oscars in one night (Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture), marking his first Oscar win after 11 previous nominations for legendary works like There Will Be Blood and Boogie Nights.
Anderson joked on stage, "You all made me work really hard to get this," then emotionally addressed his children: "I wrote this screenplay to apologize to my children for the chaotic world we will pass on to them, but I hope their generation will bring back common sense and goodness to us."
In addition to the major awards, "One Battle After Another" also earned Sean Penn Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing, and the newly introduced Casting award.
Meanwhile, "Sinners," directed by Ryan Coogler and leading with 16 nominations, ended up with 4 awards: Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, and a historic win for Autumn Durald Arkapaw as the first woman to win Best Cinematography.
Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor for his role as twin gangsters during the era of racial segregation. On stage, he thanked Coogler, saying, "You are incredible. It is an honor to work with you."
The Best Actress award went to Jessie Buckley for her portrayal of Shakespeare's wife in "Hamnet," while Amy Madigan won Best Supporting Actress for the film "Weapons."
The award for Best Animated Feature went to "KPop Demon Hunters," which also won Best Original Song for "Golden." The Best International Feature Film was "Sentimental Value" from Norway.
Conan O'Brien hosted the ceremony with satirical humor, playfully teasing political topics and poking fun at the controversy surrounding Bad Bunny's Super Bowl concert.
The most emotional moment of the event was the In Memoriam segment honoring the late director Rob Reiner, who passed away in December, and legend Robert Redford. At age 83, Barbra Streisand took the stage to remember Redford, her co-star in The Way We Were, calling him a "wise cowboy" and saying she will always miss him.
. AFP