India, March 16 -- In a final shifting of Hollywood's record books, the 98th Academy Awards concluded this morning. The hugely ambitious political epic One Battle After Another by Paul Thomas Anderson was the night's unchallenged heavyweight, winning Best Picture and finally bringing home the Best Director and Adapted Screenplay statuettes that the filmmaker had long sought. Notable "firsts" at the ceremony were the completion of several "overdue" stories and the achievements of several women, like Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who won Best Cinematography for her work on Sinners and was the first woman of colour to do so.

The acting categories were a source of powerful emotional moments throughout the evening. Winners Michael B. Jordan (for his...