Oscars night: latest developments

Oscars night: latest developments
Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve attends the 98th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 15, 2026 / ANGELA WEISS

Welcome to Oscars night!

AFP is bringing you all the latest developments from the star-studded 98th Academy Awards in Hollywood.

Comedian Conan O'Brien hosted the evening that saw big winner "One Battle After Another" take home six awards followed by "Sinners" with four.

Here's the latest from the marathon night's final stretch:

won the night's top prize for best picture, capping off a dominant awards season run for the high-octane humorous thriller about a former revolutionary's search for his daughter.

Teyana Taylor put the director in a headlock as fellow star Chase Infiniti was bubbling over with joy.

"Let's have a martini -- this is pretty amazing," said Anderson, fresh off a win for best director.

"You make a guy work hard for one of these," said the widely acclaimed filmmaker, who won the first Oscars of his career for director, best adapted screenplay and picture as one of the film's producers.

"I wrote this movie for my kids to say sorry for the housekeeping mess that we left in this world we're handing off to them," Anderson said in accepting that prize, "but also with the encouragement that they will be the generation that hopefully brings us some common sense and decency."

won the award for best actress for her starring role in

as William Shakespeare's grieving wife.

She called playing the character "the greatest collision of my life," as the film centered on motherhood and coincided with her own journey towards becoming a parent.

"It's Mother's Day in the UK today, so I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother's heart," said a tearful Buckley. "We all come from a lineage of women who continue to create against all odds."

realized he'd walked onstage chewing gum, and -- before pretending to toss it into the audience -- swallowed it, recalling his winning moment from last year.

He then pulled handwritten notes out and feigned preparing for a lengthy monologue -- another reference to last year -- until show producers turned on the play-off music.

Brody then promptly presented the prize for best actor to Michael B. Jordan for his role playing twin gangsters in "Sinners."

"God is good," said the actor to wild applause.

He thanked the team behind the film for "betting on a culture and betting on original ideas," adding that "I stand here because of the people that came before me," listing off Black Oscar winners including Sidney Poitier .

Jordan bested the likes of a surely disappointed Timothee Chalamet -- who served as one of the night's punching bags over his recent belittling comments about ballet and opera.

used his time onstage as a presenter for best international film to make a statement:

said the Spanish actor, who wore pins with the same messages.

Norway's

from

, which came into the night with nine nominations, took home that prize.

He accepted the award in paraphrasing the famed Black American author James Baldwin , who Trier said "makes us remember that all adults are responsible for all children."

"Let's not vote for politicians who don't take this seriously into account."

The second musical performance of the night -- which followed a showstopping montage number from the smash "Sinners" -- was the beloved

from the "KPop Demon Hunters" fictional girl group.

The smash hit then got its flowers, taking home the prize for best original song and becoming the first KPop song to win the category.

"This song is not about success -- it's about resilience," said tearful singer-songwriter Ejae onstage.

"One Battle After Another" won the Oscar for best editing, while rival "Sinners" scored for cinematography.

became the first woman to win in the latter category, and paid homage to her predecessors.

"I'm so honored to be here and I really want all the women in the room to stand up because I feel like I don't get here without you guys," she said.

The best original screenplay prize went to Ryan Coogler for "Sinners," the acclaimed supernatural vampire drama set in the segregated Deep South, which he dubbed "an incredible honor" as he thanked his family and cast members.

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US songwriter Diane Warren attends the 98th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 15, 2026 / ANGELA WEISS
Star singer Shaboozey attends the 98th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 15, 2026 / ANGELA WEISS
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has issued new guidelines on the non-eligibility of AI performances for Oscars / Frederic J. Brown
US actress Chase Infiniti attends the 98th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 15, 2026 / ANGELA WEISS
Irish actress Jessie Buckley attends the 98th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 15, 2026 / ANGELA WEISS
Australian actress Rose Byrne attends the 98th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 15, 2026 / ANGELA WEISS
Actress Kate Hudson attends the 98th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 15, 2026 / ANGELA WEISS
Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard attends the 98th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 15, 2026 / ANGELA WEISS
Brazilian director Kleber Mendonca Filho and French producer Emilie Lesclaux attend the 98th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 15, 2026 / ANGELA WEISS
Oscars host Conan O'Brien offered the usual mix of quips and heartfelt thoughts / Patrick T. Fallon
Actor Timothee Chalamet and entrepreneur Kylie Jenner arrive at the 98th annual Academy Awards / Patrick T. Fallon
Performers at the Oscars deliver an homage to the arguable Scene of the Year from the smash film "Sinners" / Patrick T. Fallon
Anna Wintour (L) and Anne Hathaway were presenters at the Oscars -- a moment that doubled as promo for the upcoming sequel to 'The Devil Wears Prada' / Patrick T. Fallon
Amy Madigan won the first Oscar of the night, for best supporting actress for 'Weapons' / VALERIE MACON
Paul Thomas Anderson accepts the Oscar for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) for "One Battle After Another" at the 98th annual Oscars / Patrick T. Fallon
Ryan Coogler accepts the award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) for "Sinners" at the 98th annual Oscars / Patrick T. Fallon
A group of actors pay tribute to the late Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer during the Academy Awards / Patrick T. Fallon
US singer Barbra Streisand sang and paid tribute to the late Robert Redford during a heartfelt In Memoriam segment during the Oscars / Patrick T. Fallon
Russian teacher Pavel Talankin (2L) stands alongside US documentary filmmaker David Borenstein (L) as he accepts the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature Film for "Mr. Nobody Against Putin" / Patrick T. Fallon
US filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson and US producer Sara Murphy accept the award for Best Picture for "One Battle After Another" alongside cast and crew / Patrick T. Fallon
Michael B. Jordan accepts the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for "Sinners" / Patrick T. Fallon
Priyanka Chopra and Javier Bardem present the Oscar for Best International Feature Film / Patrick T. Fallon
US cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw poses in the press room with the Oscar for Best Cinematography for "Sinners," a win that marked the first time a woman had ever taken home the prize / VALERIE MACON
Irish actress Jessie Buckley accepts the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for "Hamnet" / Patrick T. Fallon
Joachim Trier accepts the award for Best International Feature Film for "Sentimental Value" alongside stars from the Norwegian film / Patrick T. Fallon
South Korean-US singer Ejae accepts the Oscar for Best Music (Original Song) for "Golden" from "KPop Demon Hunters" alongside (back row, from R) Jeong Hoon Seo, Hee Dong Nam, Joong Gyu Kwak and Yu Han Lee (front L) / Patrick T. Fallon