Paul Thomas Anderson ended his long Oscar drought at the 98th Academy Awards, winning best picture and best director for his film One Battle After Another. The 55-year-old filmmaker, previously nominated 11 times without a win, took home three Oscars in total, including best adapted screenplay.
The political thriller, set in a proto-fascist California, was hailed as the most overtly political best picture nominee this year. Anderson dedicated the screenplay award to his children, saying he wrote the film 'to say sorry for the housekeeping mess we left in this world we’re handing off to them.'
One Battle After Another won six Oscars overall, beating rival Sinners by Ryan Coogler, which took four. The contest was described as the most closely fought in years, with both films backed by Warner Bros, which ended the night with a record-equalling 11 Oscars.
In the acting categories, Jessie Buckley won best actress for Hamnet, while Michael B Jordan took best actor for his dual role in Sinners. Sean Penn won supporting actor for One Battle After Another, and Amy Madigan won supporting actress for Weapons, 40 years after her last nomination.
