The “98th Academy Awards” rewarded a variety of films, while creating memorable moments on March 15.
Preceding the ceremony, “Sinners” made Oscar history by obtaining sixteen nominations, which is the most that any film has ever recieved. The film gained momentum throughout the award season after Wunmi Mosaku won the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) for Best Supporting Actress and Michael B. Jordan won the Actor Award for Best Actor. “Sinners” would go on to win four Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Lead Actor for Jordan’s dual portrayal of Smoke and Stack Moore.
“I’m very glad it won for cinematography. I’m very glad that Ryan Coogler is getting attention, he’s not just a superhero director,” said film study teacher James Desmond.
Another film that took home multiple Oscars was “Frankenstein,” which won Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling. The film was praised for its technical elements, which falls in line with its Oscar wins.
“I personally very much enjoyed [Frankenstein] and I was very happy that they won [awards for] costume and makeup,” said senior Mollie Y.
A movie that took over the internet in 2025 was “KPop Demon Hunters.” Along with being the most watched movie in Netflix history, it won two Oscars. These awards were Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song for the viral hit “Golden.” The team behind the movie brought KPop to the Oscars’ stage with a performance of the hit song that would go on to win.
“I don’t think I heard every original song that was nominated for an Oscar, but I definitely don’t think artistically and musically it’s the best song ever, but I think by the way that it took the world by storm that it kind of does deserve that Oscar, just because of the online presence that it had. It made a really big impact online,” said senior Sophia E.
This year’s ceremony gave a platform to a multitude of international films. Outside of the Best International Feature Film category, which was won by “Sentimental Value,” non-English cinema received a variety of other nominations. “The Secret Agent” and “Sentimental Value” were both nominated for Best Picture, with the latter also receiving a nomination for Best Director. “Sirât,” “The Ugly Stepsister,” and “Kokuho” also received nominations in general categories.
“I think [the Academy] did a great job recognizing quality films that really transcend language barriers and are not only relatable to a wide variety of audiences, but are just extremely well made films by great filmmakers,” said Desmond.
There were many other films that received recognition during the night. Jessie Buckley won “Hamnet’s” sole Oscar for her leading role as Agnes Shakespeare. “Weapons” won in its only nominated category, Best Supporting Actress, for Amy Madigan’s portrayal of Aunt Gladys. One of the night’s historic moments was the tie that occurred in the Best Live Action Short Film category, which is a rare occurrence. Both “The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva” won the award. In addition, “Marty Supreme” was unable to win in any of the nine categories it was nominated for.
“Yeah I don’t think [Marty Supreme was] robbed. I mean they could’ve won one or two [awards], […] but they had some great competition so […],” said senior Sophia E.
Even with all of the recognition they received, none of these films took home the Best Picture award. “One Battle After Another” was this year’s victor, with the film winning six categories total, including the newly introduced Best Casting category. This major win succeeded the film’s victories at the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes.
“I think it’s an interesting structure, it’s [by] a director that’s long overdue to get this kind of recognition, but I think it may prove to be [Paul Thomas Anderson’s] finest work because of the risks that he took in this particular device of climate. To tell this story of imperfect characters and of fractured family and beating the odds to defeat tyrants. I think it’s got a lot of important messages and frankly amazing performances individually,” said Desmond.
The 98th Academy Awards saw numerous films achieve success, which will cement their legacies in the future.
