The 98th Academy Awards Celebrate the Best of Cinema — and Casting Finally Gets Their Oscar

It’s been one battle after another all through awards season with Sinners and One Battle After Another trading wins at various awards over the last few months, setting the stage for one of the most competitive Oscar races in recent memory.

By the end of the night, both films walked away with multiple statues. Michael B. Jordan won the Best Actor trophy for his double roles as twins Smoke and Stack in Sinners, while Paul Thomas Anderson’s timely One Battle After Another came out on top for best film. Anderson probably put it best when he referenced the 1975 Academy Awards to make a point about how Oscar-nominated films are often viewed through the lens of history, saying, “There is no best among them. There is just what the mood might be that day.”

It was also a historic night for casting directors, who are near and dear to us at Casting Networks. To present the first-ever Oscar for Best Casting, the Academy honored five talented casting directors with five presenters, all actors who gave a personal anecdote about each nominee before finally presenting the gold statue to Cassandra Kulukundis for One Battle After Another. It was thrilling to see casting given such a warm welcome to film’s most celebrated stage.

To learn more about what an Oscar-winning casting director looks for in an audition, check out our interview with Cassandra Kulukundis.

Best Picture

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another – WINNER

Sinners

Train Dreams

F1

Bugonia

Sentimental Value

The Secret Agent

Best Director

Chloé Zhao, Hamnet

Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another – WINNER

Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value

Ryan Coogler, Sinners

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Best Actress in a Leading Role

Jessie Buckley, Hamnet – WINNER

Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue

Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value

Emma Stone, Bugonia

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme

Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another

Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon

Michael B. Jordan, Sinners – WINNER

Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value

Amy Madigan, Weapons – WINNER

Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners

Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another

Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein

Delroy Lindo, Sinners

Sean Penn, One Battle After Another – WINNER

Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value

Best Casting

Nina Gold, Hamnet

Jennifer Venditti, Marty Supreme

Cassandra Kulukundis, One Battle After Another – WINNER

Gabriel Domingues, The Secret Agent

Francine Maisler, Sinners

Congratulations to all winners and nominees!