The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, are the biggest celebration of film and screen acting of the year. The 2026 Oscars, which took place on 15 March at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, saw plenty of great films and performances nominated, with many standouts taking home multiple awards.
The Netflix animated hit, KPop Demon Hunters, took home the awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for ‘Golden’. Ryan Coogler’s Sinners swept in four categories, including:
- Best Cinematography
- Best Original Score
- Best Original Screenplay
- Best Actor
One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, easily took home the most Oscars wins of the night, winning out in six categories, including:
- Best Director
- Best Adapted Screenplay
- Best Film Editing
- Best Casting
- Best Actor
- Best Picture
Best Picture: One Battle After Another
The Best Picture Oscars category is often considered the biggest award of the night. One Battle After Another, which follows a former revolutionary who is forced to confront enemies from his past when his daughter disappears, took home the win for Best Picture. Other nominees included:
- Bugonia
- Frankenstein
- F1
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- The Secret Agent
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
- Train Dreams
Release Date: 26 September 2025
Where to watch: Apple TV, Google Play Movies (Rent/Buy)
Best Supporting Actor: Sean Penn
Much like The Best Picture, The Best Supporting Actor category is considered one of the biggest awards of the Oscars. This year’s win went to Sean Penn of One Battle After Another, for his role as Steven J. Lockjaw, a colonel of the United States military who serves as the antagonist of the film. Other nominated performances included:
- Benicio del Toro (One Battle After Another)
- Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein)
- Delroy Lindo (Sinners)
- Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value)
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan
The Best Supporting Actress award went to Amy Madigan for her role as Gladys Lilly in Weapons. This character is an ancient witch who targets children to feed on their life energy. The film received good reviews upon its release, though it was not nominated for any other awards at the ceremony.
The other nominees for Best Supporting Actress include:
- Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value)
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value)
- Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners)
- Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another)
Release Date: 8 August 2025
Where to Watch: Apple TV, Google Play Movies (Rent/Buy)
Best Actress: Jessie Buckley
The award for Best Actress is a highly coveted award, given to the actress who gave the most outstanding performance in a lead role.
This year’s Oscars Award went to Jessie Buckley in Hamnet. Buckley portrayed Agnes Shakespeare, the wife of William Shakespeare, as the film follows the married couple through hardship amid William’s rise as a playwright. The other nominees for this category included:
- Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You)
- Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue)
- Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value)
- Emma Stone (Bugonia)
Release Date: 26 November 2025
Where to Watch: Nu Metro & Ster Kinekor cinemas
Best Actor: Michael B Jordan
The Best Actor Oscars Award is one of the biggest awards of the night, and this year had a stacked list of nominees. After a win at the Actors Awards, it was evident that Michael B Jordan would take home the Oscar, and at the 2026 Academy Awards, he was awarded the Best Actor for his role as Smoke in Sinners.
Jordan actually played two characters in the film, twins Smoke and Stack. However, it was his leading role as Smoke that led him to the win. The other nominees included:
- Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme)
- Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another)
- Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon)
- Wagner Moura ( The Secret Agent)
Release Date: 18 April 2025
Where to Watch: Apple TV, Google Play Movies (Rent/Buy)
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Picture: Kevin Winter / Getty Images
