The 98th Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, took place on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre, with American writer, comedian, and television personality Conan O’Brien hosting for the second consecutive year. As one of the most prestigious annual awards ceremonies, the Oscars celebrate outstanding filmmaking and honor technical and artistic achievements across 24 categories.

This year’s ceremony introduced several major updates. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences implemented a new rule requiring all voting members to watch every nominated film before casting their final votes, a move designed to make the voting process fairer. In addition, for the first time in over two decades, the Academy announced a new category, “Best Achievement in Casting,” recognizing the crucial role of casting directors.

Alongside these updates, several films made a significant impact at the awards, with one in particular standing out. “Sinners,” directed by Ryan Coogler, set a groundbreaking record with 16 nominations, making it one of the most-nominated films in Oscar history. The film also opened with $48 million, making it the highest-grossing original release. Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman to win “Best Cinematography” for her work, breaking a 98-year streak of male winners in that category. Her acceptance speech was made even more memorable when Coogler brought her son up front during the emotional moment. Michael B. Jordan also earned his first Academy Award, winning “Best Actor in a Leading Role,” for his performance. He was chosen over fellow powerhouse nominees Timothee Chalamet for “Marty Supreme” and Leonardo DiCaprio for “One Battle After Another.” Reflecting on his first nomination and win, Jordan exclaimed, “God is good.”

However, not all victories came easily. After 14 nominations spanning nearly 30 years, Paul Thomas Anderson finally took home “Best Director” for “One Battle After Another.” Looking back on his long road to victory, he remarked, “You make a guy work hard for one of these.” By the end of the night, “One Battle After Another” won six Oscars, securing the most awards.

While “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” swept the floor, another film made headlines for a far less celebratory reason. “Golden” from “Kpop Demon Hunters” dominated radio stations and surpassed 1.5 billion streams on Spotify, making its wins for “Best Animated Feature Film” and “Best Original Song” unsurprising. Yet, both of the team’s acceptance speeches were cut short. As the second winner began speaking, the microphone went silent, and the stage darkened, transitioning to a commercial break. Unlike other winners who were given more time, these interruptions sparked criticism, with many viewers calling them disrespectful and some speculating that Asian creators and Korean-language achievements were being given less recognition on stage.

Outside of the night’s biggest wins and on-stage controversies, attendance also became a talking point. Although the Oscars are an exclusive event, attendance is entirely voluntary, unless, of course, you’re Will Smith, who is banned for 10 years due to his infamous altercation with Chris Rock. Meanwhile, Sean Penn, who won his third Oscar for “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” as a military zealot in “One Battle After Another,” was a no-show. This comes as little surprise, as Penn has a history of skipping the Oscars, having missed his previous nominations in 1996, 2000, and 2002. Even Kieran Culkin, who presented the award, joked, “Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening, or didn’t want to.” Instead, Penn planned to visit Ukraine and meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in support of the country’s ongoing war with Russia. His absences reflect his complicated relationship with Hollywood and his long history of activism.

Besides empty seats, one of the night’s most jaw-dropping, unexpected moments came when Kumail Nanjiani revealed a rare tie for “Best Live Action Short Film,” with both “The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva” winning the Oscar. Ties are extremely uncommon at the Academy Awards, occurring only seven times in its 98-year history, making the announcement a surprise to both the audience and the winners. To navigate the rare occurrence, Nanjiani briefed the audience and explained the process before sharing the results to ease any confusion. Accepting his award for “Singers,” director Sam A. Davis summed up the shock of the night, exclaiming, “I didn’t know that was a thing.”

From the historic tie and record-breaking wins to humble acceptance speeches and the sting of being unexpectedly cut off, the 98th Academy Awards proved that Hollywood still has a lot of surprises up its sleeve. For those who missed the Academy Awards, the ceremony is available to stream on Hulu, and the taped broadcast is available on ABC. If you don’t have access to either platform, don’t feel too left out. Starting in 2029, the Oscars will also stream on YouTube through 2033 to expand global engagement and accessibility.