Oscars 2026: 'One Battle After Another' the night's big winner / Michael B. Jordan named best actor, another Oscar for Sean Penn / Triumph for Netflix
The 2026 Academy Awards chose “One Battle After Another,” a political thriller that imagines a police state version of America, as best picture, beating the other big favorite, horror feature “Sinners,” to win a total of six Oscars, Variety magazine reports.
Paul Thomas Anderson, the creative force behind “One Battle After Another” was named Best Director and also received an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
“I wrote this film for my children to apologize for the mess we've left in this world we're teaching them, but also with the encouragement that they'll be the generation that hopefully brings us some common sense and decency,” Anderson said while accepting his screenplay award.
“Sinners” wasn't far behind its feature film, earning four Academy Awards, including for director Ryan Coogler's original screenplay and Michael B. Jordan's lead performance.
Both films were released by Warner Bros., capping off a hugely successful 2025 for the studio, which included the release of titles such as 'Superman', 'A Minecraft Movie' and 'Weapons'.
Michael B. Jordan and Jessie Buckley, Oscar winners for best actors in 2026
Jessie Buckley was named best actress in a leading role for her harrowing portrayal of a woman trying to cope with the death of her young son in “Hamnet,” while Jordan won for his role as the twin owners of a bar in the segregated South.
“God is good,” said a visibly emotional Jordan. He then thanked Coogler, with whom he made five feature films. “You gave me the opportunity and the space to be seen,” Jordan said.
Buckley noted that her win coincided with Mother's Day in the UK. “I would like to dedicate this award to the beautiful chaos of a mother's heart,” she said. “We all come from a line of women who continue to create against all odds,” she added.
Oscars for supporting roles went to Sean Penn, for playing a corrupt military officer in “One Battle After Another,” and Amy Madigan, for her memorable role in the horror film “Weapons.”
“Sentimental Value”, the best foreign film at the 2026 Academy Awards
This year's ceremony came as the film industry continues to struggle to resonate with young audiences more interested in video games and YouTube than cinema, and box office receipts remain below pre-Covid-19 levels.
“Sentimental Value,” Joachim Trier's drama about the strained relationships within an artist family and the reunion between a famous director and his actress daughter, won the Academy Award for best foreign film.
“This movie is about a very dysfunctional family,” Trier said in his acceptance speech, standing in front of his peers. “And it's the opposite of what I felt with this wonderful group behind me,” he pointed out.
Good luck to Netflix and an anti-Putin documentary at the Oscars
“Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” a look at how Vladimir Putin clamped down on free speech during the Russian-Ukrainian war, won best documentary feature. The film's co-director, David Borenstein, issued a warning about the dangers of autocracy that seemed clearly aimed at Americans.
“'Mr. Nobody against Putin' is about losing your country,” he said. “And what I've seen working with these images is that you lose it through countless little acts of complicity. When we become complicit, when a government kills people on the streets of our big cities. When we say nothing, when oligarchs take control of the media and control how we can produce and consume it,” he continued.
“KPop Demon Hunters,” the most popular movie in Netflix history, won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for its anthem, “Golden.” Maggie Kang, the film's co-director, fought back tears as she pointed out that the animation's victory is an important moment for the representation of all people.
“I'm so sorry it took so long to see us in a movie like this. But it exists now. And that means future generations don't have to yearn for something like this anymore. This is for Korea and Koreans everywhere.”
The Big Winners of the 2026 Oscars:
Best Film:
- “Bugonia”;
- “F1”;
- “Frankenstein”;
- “Hamnet”;
- “Marty Supreme”;
- “One Battle After Another” (WINNER);
- “The Secret Agent”;
- “Sentimental Value”;
- “Sinners”;
- “Train Dreams”.
Oscar Nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2026:
- Timothée Chalamet, “Marty Supreme”;
- Leonardo DiCaprio, “One Battle After Another”;
- Ethan Hawke, “Blue Moon”;
- Michael B. Jordan, “Sinners” (WINNER);
- Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent”.
Academy Award Nominations for Best Actress in a Leading Role:
- Jessie Buckley, “Hamnet” (WINNER);
- Rose Byrne, “If I Had Legs I'd Kick You”;
- Kate Hudson, “Song Sung Blue”;
- Renate Reinsve, “Sentimental Value”;
- Emma Stone, “Bugonia”.
Sean Penn, for the third Oscar of his career in 2026
- Benicio Del Toro, “One Battle After Another”;
- Jacob Elordi, “Frankenstein”;
- Delroy Lindo, “Sinners”;
- Sean Penn, “One Battle After Another” (WINNER);
- Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value.”
Best Actress in a Supporting Role:
- Elle Fanning, “Sentimental Value”;
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, “Sentimental Value”;
- Amy Madigan, “Weapons” (WINNER);
- Wunmi Mosaku, “Sinners”;
- Teyana Taylor, “One Battle After Another.”
Paul Thomas Anderson, chosen as the best director at the 2026 Academy Awards
- Chloé Zhao, “Hamnet”;
- Josh Safdie, “Marty Supreme”;
- Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another” (WINNER);
- Joachim Trier, “Sentimental Value”;
- Ryan Coogler, “Sinners.”
Best Original Screenplay:
- “Blue Moon”;
- “It Was Just an Accident”;
- “Marty Supreme”;
- “Sentimental Value”;
- “Sinners” (WINNER).
Best adapted scenario:
- “Bugonia”;
- “Frankenstein”;
- “Hamnet”;
- “One Battle After Another” (WINNER);
- “Train Dreams”.
“Sentimental Value”, awarded in 2026 with the Oscar for the best foreign film
- “The Secret Agent”;
- “It Was Just an Accident”;
- “Sentimental Value” (WINNER);
- “Sirat”;
- “The Voice of Hind Rajab”.
Best Documentary:
- “The Alabama Solution”;
- “Come See Me in the Good Light”;
- “Cutting Through Rocks”;
- “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” (WINNER);
- “The Perfect Neighbor”.
Netflix wins Oscar for best animated film thanks to phenomenon 'KPop Demon Hunters'
Best Animated Feature:
- “Arco”;
- “Elio”;
- “KPop Demon Hunters” (WINNER);
- “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain”;
- “Zootropolis 2”.
