While Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another ultimately claimed Best Picture at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, 2026, the real story of the night belonged to Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. The vampire epic didn’t just win awards, it delivered a series of groundbreaking moments that celebrated Black artistry, resilience, and innovation in ways the Oscars had never seen before. 

Here are five prominent things that stood out and will be remembered long after the statues were handed out.

Misty Copeland’s triumphant ballet performance just months after hip replacement surgery.

Legendary ballerina Misty Copeland took the stage during the performance of the original song “I Lied To You” from Sinners (alongside Shaboozey), delivering a stunning, athletic ballet routine. This came only a few months after she underwent hip replacement surgery and publicly shared her recovery journey on Instagram, emphasizing patience and healing. The moment was pure resilience. Copeland, the first Black principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, proved once again why she’s an icon. Adding a layer of irony and buzz: Timothée Chalamet (nominated for Best Actor elsewhere that night) rose for a full standing ovation, despite his recent controversial comments suggesting that opera and ballet might be “phasing out.” The internet instantly lit up with memes and praise for Copeland stealing the spotlight in the best way possible.

Autumn Durald Arkapaw becoming the first woman and first Black woman to win Best Cinematography for Sinners

Sinners cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw made Oscar history by taking home the award for her groundbreaking work on the film (shot in rare IMAX film and Ultra Panavision 70 formats). She is the first woman ever to win in this category (only three women had even been nominated before her) and the first Black woman to achieve it. In her acceptance speech, she called out all the women in the room to stand, thanking them for paving the way and noting how seeing representation matters: “I feel like I don’t get here without you guys.” Her innovative camerawork, especially in eerie Western-style sequences and intimate hallway shots, helped make Sinners visually unforgettable and pushed boundaries in large-format filmmaking.

Michael B. Jordan earned his first Oscar nomination and won Best Actor for his dual role as Smoke and Stack in Sinners

In a thunderous moment that brought the Dolby Theatre to its feet, Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor for his powerhouse dual performance as twin brothers Smoke and Stack in Sinners. This marked his first-ever Oscar nomination and his first win, a full-circle triumph after years of acclaimed work in the Creed and Black Panther franchises. Jordan’s emotional speech honoured his family in the audience, paid heartfelt tribute to longtime collaborator Ryan Coogler (“you gave me the opportunity and space for me to be seen”), and celebrated the Black actors who came before him. The standing ovation and his stunned reaction became instant highlights of the night.

Ryan Coogler winning Best Original Screenplay and becoming only the second Black director to claim the award

Coogler took home his first Oscar for writing the original screenplay of Sinners, joining Jordan Peele (who won in 2018 for Get Out) as just the second Black filmmaker to win in this category. The win was especially poetic given that Coogler brought the audacious script to studios only two years earlier, packaging it with himself as director and Jordan as star. In his acceptance speech, he expressed genuine surprise and gratitude, keeping the focus on the team’s shared story rooted in family history and Southern folklore. It underscored Sinners‘ blend of horror, blues, and cultural depth as a true original.

Sinners shattering the all-time record with 16 Oscar nominations

Before a single award was handed out, Sinners made history by securing 16 nominations, the highest number ever received by a single film in the Academy’s 98-year history. This record-breaking haul (surpassing previous benchmarks) reflected the film’s massive cultural phenomenon status: a genre-bending vampire tale that mixed historical storytelling, Black Southern experience, and blockbuster ambition. It entered the night as the clear frontrunner in momentum and walked away with four critical wins (Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score), proving that bold Black-led storytelling could dominate the Oscars conversation like never before.

Now, here’s the complete list of winners from the 2026 Oscars.

Best Picture

Bugonia
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another – WINNER
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams

Best Actor

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

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 Supporting Actor

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 Supporting Actress

Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan – Weapons – WINNER
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

Best Director

Chloé Zhao – Hamnet
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another – WINNER
Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler – Sinners

Best Original Screenplay

Blue Moon
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
Sentimental Value
Sinners – WINNER

Best Adapted Screenplay

Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another – WINNER
Train Dreams

Best Animated Feature Film

Arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters – WINNER
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2

Best International Feature Film

The Secret Agent – Brazil
It Was Just an Accident – France
Sentimental Value – Norway – WINNER
Sirât – Spain
The Voice of Hind Rajab – Tunisia

Best Casting

Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another – WINNER
The Secret Agent
Sinners

Best Cinematography

Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners – WINNER
Train Dreams

Best Production Design

Frankenstein – WINNER
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners

Best Editing

F1
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another – WINNER
Sentimental Value
Sinners

Best Original Score

Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Sinners – WINNER

Best Original Song

“Dear Me” – Diane Warren: Relentless
“Golden” – KPop Demon Hunters – WINNER
“I Lied to You” – Sinners
“Sweet Dreams of Joy” – Viva Verdi!
“Train Dreams” – Train Dreams

Best Sound

F1 – WINNER
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sirât

Best Visual Effects

Avatar: Fire and Ash – WINNER
F1
Jurassic World Rebirth
The Lost Bus
Sinners

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Frankenstein – WINNER
Kokuho
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
The Ugly Stepsister

Best Costume Design

Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein – WINNER
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sinners

Best Animated Short Film

Butterfly
Forevergreen
The Girl Who Cried Pearls – WINNER
Retirement Plan
The Three Sisters

Best Live-Action Short Film

Butcher’s Stain
A Friend of Dorothy
Jane Austen’s Period Drama
The Singers – WINNER (TIE)
Two People Exchanging Saliva – WINNER (TIE)

Best Documentary Feature Film

The Alabama Solution
Come See Me in the Good Light
Cutting Through Rocks
Mr. Nobody Against Putin – WINNER
The Perfect Neighbor

Best Documentary Short

All the Empty Rooms – WINNER
Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”
The Devil Is Busy
Perfectly a Strangeness