One Battle Won — And a Night That Made History
The Oscars Gave Hollywood Its Night — And Hollywood Gave It Back to the World
Letter from Hollywood
US Daily Letter | Hollywood Bureau | March 16, 2026
Dear Reader,
Hollywood had its night last evening, and what a night it was. The 98th Academy Awards, held at the Dolby Theatre under the reliably warm and self-deprecating stewardship of Conan O’Brien, delivered the kind of ceremony the industry needed: a little catharsis, a lot of excellence, and a few moments that will live well beyond the red carpet.
One Battle After Another took home Best Picture , and if you’ve followed this awards season at all, that result felt both inevitable and earned. Paul Thomas Anderson swept Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay — his first Oscar wins — making this the crowning chapter of a remarkable career.  The film, which dominated the conversation from Toronto to voting season, ended the night with six Oscars total , the most of the evening.
But the story of the night was not a coronation. It was a competition.
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners fought back with four wins of its own, and in doing so, made history that no one in that room will soon forget. Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman — and the first woman of color — ever to win Best Cinematography , a milestone 98 years in the making. She asked every woman in the audience to stand. By all accounts, the room erupted. Ludwig Göransson took home his third career Oscar for Best Score , delivering a deeply moving tribute to his father. And Ryan Coogler won Best Original Screenplay , claiming his first individual Oscar after years of critically acclaimed work.
Then there was Michael B. Jordan.
Jordan won Best Actor for his dual role as twins Smoke and Stack in Sinners , and the Dolby came to its feet. In his speech, he invoked the names who came before him — Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith — calling it an honor to stand among those giants.  He then turned to the aspiring artists watching at home and offered something simple and generous: “Be honest and truthful, and dream big. I’m really big into pouring into the universe, and the universe will pour it back into you.” 
On the actress side, Jessie Buckley took home Best Actress for her portrayal of Shakespeare’s wife in Hamnet — winning her first Oscar on her second nomination , after a season in which she swept virtually every precursor award. It was a win that felt both overdue and perfectly timed. The supporting prizes went to Amy Madigan for Weapons and — in a record-setting moment — to Sean Penn for One Battle After Another, his third Academy Award , though he was notably absent from the ceremony.
One of the most quietly significant moments of the evening came with the debut of an entirely new category. For the first time in 24 years, the Academy introduced a new award: Best Casting, won by Cassandra Kulukundis for One Battle After Another . Casting directors, long the invisible architects of the films we love, finally have a seat at the table.
The evening was not without its emotional weight. Billy Crystal led the In Memoriam segment with a tribute to his “best friend” Rob Reiner, killed alongside his wife last year . Barbra Streisand paid tribute to Robert Redford and sang a passage from the theme of their film together. The room went quiet. Hollywood knows how to grieve, and last night it did so with grace.
Outside the ceremony, the world pressed in. Several presenters and winning documentarians used the stage to share pointed political statements  — quiet acts of conscience in a year when the world feels anything but quiet. No one stormed the microphone. But no one pretended the room existed in a vacuum either.
Conan O’Brien closed the evening as only he could — with a gag that spoofed the final scene of Best Picture winner One Battle After Another, ending with a new name tag on the office door: Mr. Beast, named eternal Oscars host for life. The audience laughed. The show ended on time.
Hollywood’s biggest night is over. The industry moves on. But some of what happened last evening — Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s cinematography Oscar, Michael B. Jordan’s speech, the first casting award in Academy history — those aren’t just moments. They’re milestones.
Until next year,
Your Hollywood Correspondent
US Daily Letter
All coverage reflects live results from the 98th Academy Awards, Sunday, March 15, 2026.