According to the Interfax-Ukraine Culture project, the 98th Academy Awards ceremony—the world’s premier film industry award, which annually recognizes the best films, actors, and filmmakers—took place in Los Angeles on the night of March 16. The ceremony was broadcast for Ukrainian viewers with commentary by theater and film actor Oleksiy Hnatkovsky. This article compiles the main results of the awards, the most notable wins, key moments of the ceremony, and details that are being actively discussed by international media. The full list of winners of the 98th Academy Awards has been published on the awards’ official website.
“Today we celebrate cinema—stories that remind us of who we are, what we fear, and what we still believe in,” said ceremony host Conan O’Brien as he opened the 98th Academy Awards.
Ukrainian viewers watched the ceremony all night alongside theater and film actor Oleksiy Geatkovsky, who provided commentary on the Oscar broadcast for the Suspilne Kultura TV channel. Throughout the broadcast, he explained the context of the nominations, shared stories about the making of the films, and highlighted symbolic moments of the ceremony, noting that the Oscars remain not only a celebration of cinema but also a mirror of what global cinema is discussing today.
Meanwhile, the main intrigue of the evening traditionally lay in determining the ceremony’s top winner. After several hours of nominations, performances, and emotional speeches, it became clear that this year the Academy had placed its bet on auteur cinema—the film by director Paul Thomas Anderson “One Battle after Another,” which became the main winner of the 98th Academy Awards ceremony, taking home six statuettes, including in the top categories—“Best Picture” and “Best Director.” The gala ceremony took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and, as is tradition, brought together leading figures from the global film industry.
“This is a film about struggle—and about how history repeats itself if we don’t learn from it,” said Paul Thomas Anderson as he accepted his first Best Director Oscar after numerous nominations throughout his career.
The night’s top winners
The film “One Battle after Another,” based on Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, was the Academy’s clear favorite. In addition to the top prize, the film won Oscars for:
This film became a symbol of the return of auteur Hollywood cinema, which dominated this year’s ceremony.
The second big winner was the film “Sinners” by director Ryan Coogler—a gothic thriller with horror elements that received 16 nominations and won four statuettes.
Among them:
Historic Wins
This year’s ceremony will be remembered for several significant historic milestones.
In particular, cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman in the history of the “Oscars” to win the award for cinematography, a category that has existed for nearly a century and has traditionally been a male-dominated field.
Another historic win was the award for Jesse Buckley for her role in the film “Hamnet”. She became the first Irish actress to win an Oscar in the “Best Actress” category.
Meanwhile, Michael B. Jordan won his first Oscar for his role as twin brothers in the film “Sinners.” The actor became the sixth Black winner of the award in the “Best Actor” category in the Academy’s history.
International Film Wins
In the “Best International Feature Film” category, the Norwegian film “Sentimental Value” won, bringing the country its first such award in history.
The award for Best Documentary Feature went to the political film “Mr. Nobody Against Putin”, which explores the mechanisms of Russian propaganda and contemporary political processes around the world.
Animation, Music, and Technical Categories
In the “Best Animated Feature Film” category, the international hit “KPop Demon Hunters” won, also taking home the award for Best Original Song for “Golden,” which became the first K-pop track to win an “Oscar.”
The film “Frankenstein” directed by Guillermo del Toro won three technical awards at once:
Meanwhile, the award for Best Sound went to the film “F1,” and for Best Visual Effects — to the film “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”
A surprise of the ceremony
One of the most unusual events of the evening was a tie in the Best Live Action Short Film category, where the award was shared by “The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva.” Such a situation is extremely rare in Oscar history.
The atmosphere of the ceremony
American comedian Conan O’Brien hosted the ceremony for the second year in a row, opening the show with a satirical monologue about politics, the film industry, and artificial intelligence in Hollywood.
Certain segments of the ceremony were dedicated to the memory of legendary figures in cinema—notably Robert Redford and Rob Reiner—which elicited one of the most emotional reactions from the audience in the hall.
Trends at the “2026 Oscars”
Film critics note that this year’s ceremony highlighted several new trends in global cinema:
“The 2026 Oscars” became not only a celebration of Hollywood but also a demonstration of how global cinema is gradually changing the rules of the game in the industry.
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