‘One Battle After Another,’ one of the top contenders at the 98th Academy Awards, won Best Picture, edging out fellow favorite ‘Sinners.’ Other nominees included ‘Train Dreams,’ ‘Hamnet,’ ‘The Secret Agent,’ ‘F1,’ ‘Sentimental Value,’ ‘Bugonia,’ ‘Marty Supreme,’ and ‘Frankenstein.’ The award ceremony, which began at 4.30am on Monday (IST), was held at Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles.
Comedian Conan O’Brien returned to the event as its host for the second time. Michael B Jordan beat Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothee Chalamet, Ethan Hawke, and Wagner Moura, to win Best Actor, while Jessie Buckley who was a clear favourite for the win among fellow nominees Rose Byrne, Emma Stone, Renate Reinsve, and Kate Hudson, took home Best Actress for her work in ‘Hamnet’. Amy Madigan was the first awardee of the night winning Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the supernatural mystery thriller ‘Weapons’.
Director, producer Ryan Coogler accepts the award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) for ‘Sinners’. Photo: AFP
‘Sinners’, which had a record-breaking 16 nominations at this year’s Oscars, won the award for Best Original Screenplay, while another popular contender, ‘One Battle After Another’, took home the award for Best Adapted Screenplay. American Gothic science fiction drama ‘Frankenstein’ took home awards in three categories, including Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyle, and Best Production Design. ‘F1’, directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Brad Pitt, received the award for Best Sound. Autumn Durald Arkapaw made history at the Oscars, becoming the first-ever woman cinematographer to win in the category for her work in ‘Sinners’. During her acceptance speech, Autumn moved the audience to tears by asking the women in the room to stand, acknowledging that everyone played a part in her being on stage to receive the award.
Korean film ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ claimed Best Animated Feature, beating out ‘Arco,’ ‘Eliso,’ ‘Little Amelie or the Character of Rain,’ and ‘Zootopia 2.’ ‘Girl Who Cried Pearls’ took home Best Animated Short. India’s hopes rested on filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir, who earned nominations in two categories — Best Documentary Feature for ‘The Perfect Neighbour’ and Best Documentary Short for ‘The Devil is Busy’ — but left the night without a win.
Cassandra Kulukundis, meanwhile, became the first-ever casting director to win an award in the category, which was introduced at this year’s Oscars. ‘The Singers’ and ‘Two People Exchanging Saliva’ shared the award for Best Live Action Short Film, marking a rare tie at the Oscars.
Amy Madigan accepts the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for ‘Weapons’. Photo: AFP
Timothée Chalamet, who had been the clear favourite for Best Actor, found himself at the center of the night’s jokes, as host Conan O’Brien and several filmmakers took playful and pointed jabs at his widely discussed comments on Opera and Ballet. Neither Timothée Chalamet nor the film Marty Supreme, despite multiple nominations, won any awards.
