"One Battle After Another" Strikes at Trump Era, Wins Six Oscars... Paradox of Celebrations Amid Sell-Offs and Layoffs (Comprehensive)

Paul Thomas Anderson Wins His First Best Director Award
Warner Bros. Dominates Amid Looming Restructuring
Powerful Messages of Resistance and Anti-Dictatorship Break Through Tight Security
Korean-Themed Animation "K-Pop Demon Hunters" Wins Two Awards, Including Best Original Song

At the 98th Academy Awards, Ray Ami, Lee Jae, and Audrey Nuna passionately performed "Golden," the main theme song of K-Pop Demon Hunters. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

The American political thriller film "One Battle After Another" won six awards, including Best Picture, at the 98th Academy Awards held on March 15, 2026 (local time) at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson, who had not previously won an Oscar, took home both Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Upon receiving the screenplay award, he remarked, "I made this film to apologize for the mess we are leaving to the world our children will inherit," and added, "At the same time, it is an encouragement, hoping that they will become the generation that restores common sense and dignity to us."

"One Battle After Another" is a pursuit action blockbuster about Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio), a former underground organization member, who sets out to save his daughter Sharlene (Chase Infinity) when she faces a crisis. The film, which calls for solidarity and love toward minorities and immigrants, resonated strongly in response to the hardline immigration policies of the Donald Trump administration.

"Sinners: The Guilty," which was nominated in a record-breaking sixteen categories at the Academy Awards, won four awards, including Best Original Screenplay (Ryan Coogler) and Best Actor (Michael B. Jordan).

Director Paul Thomas Anderson, who won Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay at the 98th Academy Awards. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Warner Bros., which distributed both films, capped off last year as its best ever, following the box office successes of "Superman," "Minecraft Movie," and "Weapon." This year’s wins are a paradox, coming at the most tumultuous time. Warner Bros. Discovery has entered into a deal to be acquired by Paramount for approximately 111 billion dollars. If approved by regulators, thousands of layoffs are expected. This is likely to trigger further restructuring in an industry already reeling from painful job losses.

Jessie Buckley, who portrayed a woman enduring the death of her young son in "Hamnet," won Best Actress. On stage, she noted that the award date coincided with Mother's Day in the UK. "I want to dedicate this award to the beautiful chaos in every mother’s heart," she said, adding, "We were born from a lineage of women who continue to create despite all adversity."

The Best Supporting Actor award went to Sean Penn for his role as a racist soldier in "One Battle After Another," while Best Supporting Actress went to Amy Madigan for her portrayal of a witch with one of the most bizarre makeups in film history in "Weapon." Having already won Oscars for "Milk" and "Mystic River," Penn became only the fourth actor to win three Academy Awards, following Daniel Day-Lewis, Jack Nicholson, and Walter Brennan, but was absent from the ceremony. Presenter Kieran Culkin joked, "He either couldn't be here tonight, or he just didn’t want to come."

Veteran character actress Madigan was nominated for an Oscar for the first time since "Twice in a Lifetime" in 1985. Pointing to the trophy, she quipped, "Forty years have passed, and if you ask what’s different now, it’s this little golden man," and laughed.

Musician Lionel Richie (left) is handing over the Best Original Song trophy to Lee Jae at the 98th Academy Awards. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News

This year’s ceremony opened as theater box office results have yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels, and the film industry struggles to gain the empathy of younger audiences who are more accustomed to games and YouTube. The event was also broadcast live as global attention was focused on the war in Iran. Due to a Federal Bureau of Investigation alert warning of possible drone attacks on California by Iran, security was tighter than ever, with police dogs on the red carpet and helicopters circling overhead.

Political statements were made without hesitation. Presenters including broadcaster Jimmy Kimmel highlighted the fact that First Lady Melania Trump’s documentary was not nominated, while stars used their time on stage to advocate for various causes. Notably, Javier Bardem, presenting the International Feature Film award for "Sentimental Value," declared, "I oppose war and support Free Palestine."

"All the People Opposing Putin," a documentary about Vladimir Putin’s suppression of freedom in Russia, won Best Documentary Feature. Co-director David Borenshtein strongly warned of the dangers of dictatorship. He said, "Our film is about how a nation is lost," explaining, "What I realized while working on this project is that a country is lost through countless small and seemingly insignificant acts of indifference." He continued, "When the government kills people in the streets and we remain silent and indifferent, when emerging tycoons seize control of the media and dictate how we create and consume content, if we say nothing, the nation collapses."

Netflix’s highest-grossing film, "K-Pop Demon Hunters," took home Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for its main theme "Golden." Co-director Maggie Kang fought back tears, emphasizing how significant this moment was for diversity. "I’m sorry it took so long for protagonists who look like us to appear in movies like this. But now they are here, and the next generation won’t have to wait so desperately," she said. "I dedicate this award to Korea and Koreans around the world."

Javier Bardem (right) supporting Free Palestine at the 98th Academy Awards. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

This year also saw milestone achievements. Casting director Kassandra Kouloukoundis won the newly established Best Casting award for "One Battle After Another." In the Live Action Short Film category, "Two People Exchanging Saliva" and "The Singers" shared the award in an unprecedented result. Autumn Durald Arkapaw, cinematographer for "Sinners: The Guilty," became the first woman ever to win Best Cinematography.

Broadcaster Conan O'Brien returned to the stage as host for the second consecutive year. In his opening monologue, he poked fun at Timothée Chalamet, who courted controversy by disparaging opera and ballet, and at Netflix for failing to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. He also touched on the political upheaval in the United States, joking, "When I hosted last year, LA was on fire; this year, everything is running very smoothly."

He went on to say, "Viewers around the world know we live in a time of great confusion and fear," adding, "I believe the Oscars resonate even more deeply in such moments." He concluded, "Tonight, we celebrate not only film, but also global artistry, collaboration, perseverance, resilience, and the rarest quality of all today—optimism. Not because everything is perfect, but because we work and hope for better days to come, so let’s celebrate together."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.