(L-R) Eric Saindon, Richard Baneham, Joe Letteri, and Daniel Barrett accept the Visual Effects award for Avatar: Fire and Ash. Photo / Getty Images
(L-R) Eric Saindon, Richard Baneham, Joe Letteri, and Daniel Barrett accept the Visual Effects award for Avatar: Fire and Ash. Photo / Getty Images
New Zealand creatives dominated two of the biggest categories in this year’s Academy Awards, while comedy thriller One Battle After Another took out Best Picture and the most awards of the night.
Both Kiwi costume designer Kate Hawley and the team from Wellington’s Wētā FX won in their respective categories– Costuming and Visual Effects.
Hawley snagged one of the early winsat the 98th Academy Awards for her work on monster movie Frankenstein, receiving a standing ovation.
Hawley previously won the Bafta weeks earlier, and this was her first nomination and win for an Academy Award.
“We are so grateful to the Academy for recognising our craft,” an emotional Hawley said, while on stage accepting the award.
Kate Hawley accepts the Costume Design award for Frankenstein onstage during the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California. Photo / Getty Images
Wētā FX’s Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett also accepted the Best Visual Effects award on behalf of the Wētā FX team for their work on Avatar: Fire and Ash.
It was the eighth Oscar win for Wētā FX, the group long considered to be at the forefront of visual effects in the industry for work on the Avatar and Lord Of The Rings series.
“We are overwhelmed with gratitude and deeply honoured to receive the Visual Effects award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for our work on Avatar: Fire and Ash,” the group said.
“To be recognised by the Academy is something we never take lightly. This award represents years of passion, risk, collaboration, and an unwavering belief in what cinema can achieve when artistry and technology move together in service of story.”
It was widely thought that Timothée Chalamet would win his first Oscar for playing a ping pong hustler in Marty Supreme, but the Best Actor award ended up going to Michael B. Jordan for playing twin brothers battling vampires in the prohibition era in Sinners. While touted as a late front-runner, Sinners was ultimately beaten by One Battle After Another, which gained six awards.
Past collaborators of the late Rob Reiner pay tribute to the late actor-director. Photo / Getty Images
First-time nominee Amy Madigan won Best Supporting Actress for her work in the horror film Weapons, and Jessie Buckley won Best Actress for playing Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare, in Hamnet.
The night was not short of heartfelt and historic moments either. KPop Demon Hunters song Golden became the first K-Pop song to win an Oscar, and Autumn Durald Arkapaw the first woman to win Best Cinematography for Sinners.
And, for only the seventh time in Oscars history, there was also a tie, which came in the Best Live Action Short category. The joint winners were The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva.
When Harry Met Sally star Billy Crystal paid special tribute to his friends, the director and actor Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle, who were killedlast year.
Barbara Streisand also sang a short verse from the song The Way We Were, in tribute to the late Robert Redford.
Comedian Conan O’Brien hosted the event, which was held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
The Herald captured all the action and documented the winners below.
The Alabama Solution – Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman
Come See Me in the Good Light – Ryan White, Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro and Stef Willen
Cutting through Rocks – Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni
Mr Nobody against Putin – David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin, Helle Faber and Alžběta Karásková – WINNER
The Perfect Neighbor – Geeta Gandbhir, Alisa Payne, Nikon Kwantu and Sam Bisbee
Documentary Short Film
All the Empty Rooms – Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones – WINNER
Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud – Craig Renaud and Juan Arredondo
Children No More: “Were and Are Gone” – Hilla Medalia and Sheila Nevins
The Devil Is Busy – Christalyn Hampton and Geeta Gandbhir
Perfectly a Strangeness – Alison McAlpine
Film Editing
F1 – Stephen Mirrione
Marty Supreme – Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
One Battle After Another – Andy Jurgensen - WINNER
Sentimental Value – Olivier Bugge Coutté
Sinners – Michael P. Shawver
International Feature Film
The Secret Agent
It Was Just an Accident
Sentimental Value - WINNER
Sirāt
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Host Conan O'Brien speaks onstage during the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15. Photo / Getty Images
Live Action Short Film
Butcher’s Stain – Meyer Levinson-Blount and Oron Caspi
A Friend of Dorothy – Lee Knight and James Dean
Jane Austen’s Period Drama – Julia Aks and Steve Pinder
The Singers – Sam A. Davis and Jack Piatt – TIED WINNER
Two People Exchanging Saliva – Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata – TIED WINNER
Makeup and Hairstyling
Frankenstein – Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey – WINNER
Kokuho – Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino and Tadashi Nishimatsu
Sinners - Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine and Shunika Terry
The Smashing Machine - Kazu Hiro, Glen Griffin and Bjoern Rehbein
The Ugly Stepsister - Thomas Foldberg and Anne Cathrine Sauerberg
Music (Original Score)
Bugonia - Jerskin Fendrix
Frankenstein - Alexandre Desplat
Hamnet - Max Richter
One Battle After Another - Jonny Greenwood
Sinners – Ludwig Goransson – WINNER
Music (Original Song)
Dear Me - from Diane Warren: Relentless; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
Golden - from KPop Demon Hunters; Music and Lyric by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Teddy Park - WINNER
I Lied To You - from Sinners; Music and Lyric by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson
Sweet Dreams Of Joy - from Viva Verdi!; Music and Lyric by Nicholas Pike
Train Dreams – from Train Dreams; Music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner; Lyric by Nick Cave
Production Design
Frankenstein – Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau – WINNER
Hamnet – Fiona Crombie; Set Decoration: Alice Felton
Marty Supreme – Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Adam Willis
One Battle After Another – Florencia Martin; Set Decoration: Anthony Carlino
Sinners – Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Monique Champagne
