One Battle After Another dominates Oscars with six wins

Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another dominated the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, collecting six Oscars including best picture and best director—and ending a 28-year wait for the filmmaker, whose first nomination came with Boogie Nights in 1998.

The film, a drama about authoritarianism and resistance, also earned Anderson the adapted screenplay prize.

Additional wins went to Sean Penn for best supporting actor, though Penn did not attend the ceremony, along with awards for casting and editing.

From the stage, Anderson kept it brief. "What a night!" he said. "Let's have a martini."

It was not a clean sweep, however. Ryan Coogler's Sinners, a period horror film about African American identity and trauma, claimed four awards, including Coogler's original screenplay, best score, and lead actor for Michael B. Jordan, who played twin brothers Smoke and Stack. Jordan thanked Warner Bros. and Coogler for "betting on original ideas and original artistry".

The night belonged to Warner Bros. in a broader sense too. Both films came from the same studio, which collected nearly $580 million at the global box office between them. The wins carry added weight given that Paramount Skydance has agreed to acquire Warner and related assets, pending regulatory approval. If the deal goes through later this year, Sunday's ceremony may mark the end of Warner's run as a stand-alone film company.

A first for women in cinematography

Autumn Durald Arkapaw won the cinematography Oscar for Sinners, becoming the first woman to receive the honour in the Academy's history. During her acceptance speech, she asked the women in the room to stand. "I feel like I don't get here without you," she said.

Buckley wins best actress

Irish actress Jessie Buckley took the best actress prize for her role in Hamnet, playing a mother consumed by grief. The win completed a full awards-season sweep for Buckley, who had previously claimed the Golden Globe, the BAFTA and several guild honours. It was the film's only win from eight nominations.

Amy Madigan, 75, won best supporting actress for her role as the unhinged Aunt Gladys in Weapons. It was a late reward for an actress who has worked steadily in Hollywood since 1982. She thanked director Zach Cregger for writing a role she could "just grab by the throat."

Netflix picks up seven

Netflix left the ceremony with seven wins, the most in the streaming service's history, according to co-chief executive Ted Sarandos. Those wins came at the expense of smaller films: A24's Marty Supreme, starring Timothée Chalamet, left empty-handed despite nine nominations. The Brazilian film The Secret Agent and the absurdist comedy Bugonia also went without a win despite four nominations each.

Other highlights

The animated film KPop Demon Hunters won both best animated feature and best original song. Director Maggie Kang used her acceptance speech to call for greater diversity in the industry. "This is for Korea, and for Koreans everywhere," she said.

In a rare occurrence, the live-action short film category ended in a tie, with Two People Exchanging Saliva and The Singers sharing the award. The outcome led to an awkward moment when producers cut the stage lights during an acceptance speech.

The casting award was given out for the first time this year, with Cassandra Kulukundis winning for her work on One Battle After. This was another an upset over Francine Maisler, who had been the favourite for "Sinners."

Netflix's Frankenstein took three prizes: costume design, makeup and hairstyling, and production design.

The documentary prizes went to All the Empty Rooms, about the impact of school shootings, for best short documentary, and Mr. Nobody Against Putin, about Russian information warfare during the war in Ukraine, for best feature documentary.

Conan O'Brien, hosting for the second consecutive year, opened with a pre-taped parody of Weapons in which he appeared in character as Aunt Gladys. The roughly three-and-a-half-hour show drew few political references, with O'Brien keeping the tone loose throughout.