Oscars: PTA sweep and surprises
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another swept six Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, while Sinners picked up four awards — Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor and Ryan Coogler took Best Original Screenplay; the show also introduced a first‑ever casting award at the 98th Oscars on March 16 [](https://npr.org/2026/03/16/nx-s1-5739288/oscars-2026-takeaways-winners-best-picture-actor).
Paul Thomas Anderson’s film also took home Best Adapted Screenplay (variety.com), Best Supporting Actor (Sean Penn) (variety.com), Best Editing (variety.com) and the new Best Casting category. (mashable.com) Cassandra Kulukundis became the inaugural Oscar winner for Best Casting for One Battle After Another. (deadline.com) Sean Penn’s supporting‑actor win was the third acting Oscar of his career — placing him among a handful of performers with three acting wins — and he did not attend the ceremony, with Kieran Culkin accepting on his behalf. (variety.com) Ryan Coogler’s Sinners arrived with a record‑breaking 16 nominations and finished the night with four wins, including Best Original Score. (variety.com) Autumn Durald Arkapaw won Best Cinematography for Sinners and became the first woman to receive that Oscar. (variety.com) Both Sinners (16 nods) and One Battle After Another (13 nods) were Warner Bros. releases, helping the studio amass a season‑leading 30 Academy Award nominations; the 98th Oscars ceremony was held March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (variety.com)
