98th Academy Awards: Sweeping Victory for ‘One Battle After Another’; Autumn Durald Arkapaw Makes History!

March 16, 2026 Published by Natarajan Karuppiah

The recently held 98th Academy Awards in Los Angeles stood as a witness to several new records and emotional moments in the world of cinema. This year, the names of director Paul Thomas Anderson, his film ‘One Battle After Another’, and cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw have been etched in gold in the pages of history.

‘One Battle After Another’ Bags Six Awards

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, this film emerged as the highest award-winner of the year. Having received a total of 13 nominations, the film ultimately secured six Oscars:

Best Picture

Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Best Adapted Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson

Best Supporting Actor: Sean Penn

Best Film Editing: Andy Jurgensen

Best Casting: Cassandra Kulukundis (A newly introduced category this year)

Adapted from Thomas Pynchon’s novel ‘Vineland’, this film is notable for earning Paul Thomas Anderson his first-ever Oscar for Best Director.

A New Chapter in Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw

The most significant milestone of the ceremony was the award for Best Cinematography. Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who lensed the film ‘Sinners’, became the first woman in history to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

In the 98-year history of the Oscars, no woman had ever won this prestigious award in the cinematography category. Autumn Durald brought that long wait to an end through her work on the Ryan Coogler-directed ‘Sinners’. “Many little girls who look like me will sleep peacefully tonight,” she remarked movingly during her acceptance speech.