The 98th Academy Awards took place Sunday, March 16. Hosted once again by fan favorite Conan O’Brien, the ceremony featured performances from major films such as “Sinners” and “KPop Demon Hunters.” After the talk about nominations and preliminary awards from film festivals, this award show was highly anticipated. Here are some of the night’s highlights.
Miles Caton performed the “Sinners” original song “I Lied to You,” joined by guest performers Shaboozey, Brittany Howard and Misty Copeland. The performance recreated the film’s well-known bar scene from the movie.
Barbra Streisand delivered a tribute to Robert Redford during the memorial segment, reflecting on his impact on the Academy and modern filmmaking. She also performed “The Way We Were,” honoring their film of the same name.
In the first major award of the night, Amy Madigan won best supporting actress for her role in “Weapons,” marking a rare win for the horror genre at the Oscars.
“Frankenstein,” the Netflix adaptation directed by Guillermo del Toro, won best production design, best makeup and hairstyling and best costume design.
“KPop Demon Hunters” won best animated feature and best original song for “Golden.”
In a competitive best actor race, Michael B. Jordan won for portraying twins Smoke and Stack in “Sinners.” Up against Timothee Chalamet in “Marty Supreme”, Leonardo Dicaprio in “One Battle After Another”, Ethan Hawke in “Blue Moon” and Wagner Moura in “The Secret Agent”.
“Sinners” also won best original score, best cinematography and best original screenplay for director Ryan Coogler. The cinematography win was historic: Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman of color to be nominated for the award and the first woman to win the award in the Academy’s history. During her speech, she asked the women in the audience to stand and thanked them for their dedication to the film industry.
“Sentimental Value,” a Norwegian film, won best international feature.
Jessie Buckley won best actress for “Hamnet,” a film based on a novel about the imagined story of William Shakespears’ family coping with death. Buckley has become the most awarded actress this season, going home with the Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice Award, BAFTA Film Award, Actor Award and now the Academy Award.
Finally, “One Battle After Another” took home several major awards. Paul Thomas Anderson won best director and best adapted screenplay. Cassandra Kulukundis received the first ever Academy Award for best casting for her work on the film. This category was new this year. Sean Penn won best supporting actor for his role as Steven J. Lockjaw, though he was not present to accept the award. The film closed the night by winning the coveted best picture award.
Through significant wins for communities that have often been overlooked by the Academy, their wins were among the major moments that made Hollywood’s biggest night a memorable one.
