And just like that, it’s over. The interminable 2026 awards season has finally come to a close and with it, the inaner discourse can hopefully disappear from our lives.
Last night’s ceremony was less dramatic than some had anticipated and ultimately churned out a worthy crop of winners. It was a great all-round ceremony too with mostly genuinely funny jokes (as well as a few of the obligatory cringe-inducing ones), moments of real poignancy and a nice spread of recognition across several films.
Let’s dive in…
Conan O’Brien proved once again to be a great hosting choice. He isn’t afraid to poke fun and push the boat out a little and his improv abilities lend themselves well to the live nature of the show. The cold open inserting him into each Best Picture nominee whilst dressed as Aunt Gladys from Weapons recalled the heydays of Billy Crystal’s tenure and offered a genuinely fun and energetic start to the show. He had some spiker barbs for the likes of Netflix and Amazon and the world of streaming in general and the way the internet has affected our brains. One particularly fun skit involved O’Brien and Sterling K. Brown recreating Casablanca for the ‘second-screen’ era, pointing out the ridiculousness of the reported Netflix notes. There were also effective pre-recorded segments, including films being altered for ‘vertical viewing’ and a few sudden Jane Lynch-starring ads imagined to interrupt the broadcast when the Oscars moves to Youtube. Timothée Chalamet took a punch in a well-constructed joke about ballet-opera-gate (and even was called out by a later winner). Not all jokes landed or got the reaction they deserved in the room and there were some awkward segues, but overall O’Brien has the combination of wit, spike and earnestness (no one likes a host who seems to not like movies) to make it a successful night and I wouldn’t mind him being brought back again.
Elsewhere, most of the presenting gags also came off well (a handful did not, but it felt like a better ratio than usual). Anne Hathaway and Anna Wintour’s pairing ahead of The Devil Wears Prada 2 felt shaky initially but the punchlines worked well and I was a fan of Sigourney Weaver’s somewhat random Aliens flashback. There was also more audience participation than usual with Channing Tatum shouting at the stage (please let Roofman have been the real start of a comeback for him), Leonardo DiCaprio gamely put on the spot to create a new meme and Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning getting dragged into a notes-passing sketch by the cast of Bridesmaids. Speaking of, they were one of a few anniversary reunions, and it is always nice to see iconic casts back together. A lot of the bits by reunited casts or presenters felt a bit random in not relating to the categories they were presenting at all, but ultimately, I guess, that gave them free reign resulting in better jokes.
The two musical performances of the night were great and offered a boost of energy. Sinners’ I Lied to You performance was a particular highlight, really managing to capture something of that astonishing scene in the film and bring it live to the stage. Kpop Demon Hunters’ Golden had the crowd waving around light sticks which brought a child-like glee to many (and made it obvious who the parents in the crowd were). The crowd in general seemed involved and excited, unlike in previous years where jokes or musical performances have been met with stiff reception (I’m looking at you, 2019 Oscars’ audience, sitting stock still in the presence of Queen). Teyana Taylor could have powered the whole room with the brilliant excitement she showed every time she was on camera, as she should – you’re at the Oscars, have fun!
One of the most memorable moments of the night, though, was the brilliantly put together In Memoriam segment. With the industry having lost some titans over the past year, and some in the worst way, this year extended beyond the usual clips of faces and films, with special tributes to a few who were lost. It began with a brilliant and emotional speech from Billy Crystal, paying tribute to Rob and Michelle Reiner and the astonishing body of work they left behind. It was heartfelt and beautifully judged, with fond memories and references sprinkled in amongst a run through of Rob Reiner’s phenomenal filmography. The screen behind Crystal then rose and in walked a fantastic ensemble of actors from his many iconic films. It was truly moving and a beautiful tribute to the Reiners, their work and their activism. On screen, we then remembered many who have passed in the last year, before Rachel McAdams took to the stage to give a moment to Catherine O’Hara and a tribute to Diane Keaton, highlighting her legacy and impact on generations of actors, as well as her joyful spirit. After further clips and faces lit up the screen, it ended with an on-stage tribute to Robert Redford by Barbara Streisand, praising his skills as an actor (and director) and his heart as a person, as well as highlighting his huge impact on cinema beyond his on-screen work through founding the Sundance Institute (fellows of whose labs were Oscar-nominated that night). She capped it all off with a brief rendition of The Way We Were. All involved made the segment a beautiful and fitting tribute to the many who have touched the lives of film-lovers all over the globe.
Now, onto the winners…
The night ended up being less dramatic than it felt it might be, with the season’s darling One Battle After Another taking home the big prizes and ultimately leaving the ceremony with six well-deserved statues. PTA is now an Oscar-winner (x3) and cinephiles had rest safe in that fact. Alongside his Adapted Screenplay, Directing and Best Picture (shared with Sarah Murphy and Adam Somner) awards, the film also took home Supporting Actor for Sean Penn, in absentia (both his award and absence were unsurprising by this point in the season), Editing for Andy Jurgensen and the inaugural Casting award for Cassandra Kulukundis. It’s great to see Casting recognised in this way and will hopefully increase the visibility and understanding of the profession.
Sinners also had a great night, taking home four awards, least of which was the historic win for Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who, 98 years in, became the first woman, first black person and first Filipina American to win the Oscar for Cinematography. In her speech, she asked all the women in the room to stand with her for a moment that will go down in history (it also gave us the heartwarming moment of Ryan Coogler running to carry her son down towards the front). In one of the more unpredictable categories of the night, Michael B. Jordan took home Leading Actor for his dual-role; whilst not my personal favourite performance I was still so happy to see him win and it was clearly a popular win in the room and resulted in an endearingly humble speech. Ryan Coogler took home a well-deserved trophy for Original Screenplay and Ludwig Göransson took home Original Score for the third time (and second time for a Ryan Coogler picture).
Despite being the only real lock of the evening, Jessie Buckley looked the most shocked when her name was called for Leading Actress on a day of wonderful coincidence; winning for a role heavily centred in motherhood on UK/Ireland’s Mother’s Day, her first as a mother. In Supporting Actress, Amy Madigan took it home for Weapons which I have yet to see, but it is always great when films that no one would have pegged as an awards film on paper get to the podium.
There was a tie in Live Action Short which added some drama to the proceedings, but otherwise the night went mostly as expected. There were fewer political references that may have been anticipated given the state of the world – there were some lovely sentiments about film bringing people together globally and the power of art, but aside from the documentary speeches there were few explicit statements. Documentary winner, Mr Nobody Against Putin, made a great speech pointing out the similarities between what has happened and what is happening as well as imploring people to stand up. Documentary Short winner, All the Empty Rooms, brought Gloria Cazares, the mother of nine-year-old Jackie who was killed in a school shooting, to the stage to put the spotlight on gun violence and the dire need to address it. These were important and poignant statements that should not be lost in the glamour of the night. Before presenting an award, Javier Bardem also spoke out about the current violence in the world, and in ending his acceptance speech for International Feature Film for Sentimental Value, Joachim Trier paraphrased James Baldwin, declaring all adults are responsible for all children and imploring people not to vote for politicians who don’t take that seriously.
Overall, it was a great ceremony that offered a fair share of laughs, memorable moments (although not many memorable speeches) and the anticipation of seeing how everything would play out. Now, finally, these films will hopefully be allowed to be left alone, allowing people to form their own opinions free from the season’s nitpicking, competition and bizarre controversies. And a new crop of deserving filmmakers can now forever add ‘Academy Award Winner’ as a prefix to their name.
