‘Kpop Demon Hunters,’ ‘Sinners’ makes history at the 98th Academy Awards
EJAE reached a milestone for K-pop, while Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman to win Best Cinematography for "Sinners"
NHD, Yuhan, 24, EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick and ZHUN pose backstage with the Oscar for Original Song during the 98th Academy Awards
Richard Harbaugh / The Academy
Words by Daniel Anderson
The 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, hosted by returning emcee Conan O’Brien, delivered a night filled with historic wins for Asian artists and creators. While Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another ultimately dominated the evening’s top categories, much of the ceremony’s most meaningful history-making came from projects and talent across the Asian diaspora.
Among the night’s most decorated films was Ryan Coogler’s music and vampire epic Sinners, which entered the ceremony with a record-breaking 16 nominations and walked away with four Oscars. The film was produced by Coogler alongside his wife, Zinzi Coogler, whose personal heritage helped shape elements of the story. Zinzi, who is of mixed Filipino and Black ancestry, has spoken about discovering through her father that their family’s roots trace back to the Mississippi Delta Chinese community. That history is reflected onscreen through the Chow family, played by Li Jun Li and Yao as the parents and their daughter Lisa, played by Helena Hu.
One of Sinners’ biggest wins came in cinematography, in which Autumn Durald Arkapaw made Academy Awards history. With her victory, Arkapaw became the first woman ever to win Best Cinematography. She is also both the first Black cinematographer and the first Asian cinematographer, of Filipino descent, to receive the honor.
In her emotional acceptance speech, Arkapaw used the moment to recognize the women who supported her throughout her journey, as well as all the women in the room. “I’m so honored to be here and I really want all the women in the room to stand up because I feel like I don’t get here without you guys,” she said during her speech. “I have felt so much love from all the women on this whole campaign and gotten to meet so many people, and I just feel like moments like this happen because of you guys, and I want to thank you for that.”
The achievement was historic in more ways than one. Sinners pushed the boundaries of filmmaking technology as the first feature shot entirely using two different large-format systems: Ultra Panavision 70 and IMAX. Arkapaw is the first woman cinematographer to have shot a feature using IMAX 65mm format.
Another major milestone for Asian representation came early in the ceremony when KPop Demon Hunters won Best Animated Feature.
Director Maggie Kang accepted the award alongside co-director Chris Appelhans and producer Michelle L. M. Wong. During her speech, Kang reflected on how long it has taken for stories like theirs to reach the big screen. “To all the fans who got us here and for all of those who look like me, I am so sorry that it took us so long to see us in a movie like this,” Kang said. “But it is here, and that means that the next generations don’t have to go longing. This is for Korea and for Koreans everywhere.”
The Oscars broadcast also showed the film’s fictional girl group HUNTR/X appearing to accept the award themselves.
Later in the night, the energy inside the Dolby Theatre shifted from awards ceremony to a full-blown K-pop concert when the singing voices behind the HUNTR/X trio—EJAE, Rei Ami, and Audrey Nuna—took the stage to perform the film’s hit song “Golden.” The performance also incorporated the film’s opening track “Prologue (Hunter’s Mantra),” featuring an ensemble of vocalists including actor and singer Lauren Han.
The Academy leaned into the spectacle as audience members were handed lightbulb shaped glowing lightsticks to wave around as EJAE hit her high notes. The song would later make history when “Golden” won Best Original Song, becoming the first K-pop song ever to take home an Oscar. The film and its music has been recognized all throughout award season with historic victories at the Golden Globes, Grammys and more.
EJAE’s dress during her speech came adorned with the national flower of South Korea, the Mugunghwa. It was a common symbol on the uniforms of the Korean empire. Accepting the award, EJAE reflected on the long road that brought the genre to one of Hollywood’s biggest stages. “Thank you so much to the Academy for this insane award,” she began. “Growing up, people made fun of me for liking K-pop, but now everyone’s singing our song and all the Korean lyrics. I’m so proud. And I realized, the song, this award is not about success; it’s about resilience.”
She went on to thank the team behind the film. “I’m just so grateful to our team, and just want to thank my mom, my dad, my brother, my fiancé, my manager, of course, for always staying with me. And I also want to thank, of course, the resilient cast of KPop Demon Hunters. Thank you so much to Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans and our producer Michelle Wang. Thank you so much for the film. Thank you to Netflix. Thank you Sony Animation.”
“Golden” also set a record behind the scenes. The song has seven credited writers: EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu-Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Teddy Park, marking the first time a song with more than four writers has ever won in the category.
However, the celebratory moment was cut short when the orchestra abruptly began playing EJAE off as co-writer Yu-Han Lee attempted to add his own thanks. The broadcast quickly zoomed away from them and transitioned to commercial, sparking immediate backlash in the room and online. Many viewers pointed out that other winners were given significantly longer speaking time in the ceremony, while comedic segments throughout the show ran long.
Some fans also reported that the Hulu livestream of the ceremony briefly cut out during the “Golden” performance itself, adding to frustrations among viewers who felt the historic win was not given the moment it deserved.
Backstage, the song’s creators used their press room appearance to finish the acknowledgements they didn’t get to deliver on stage. “We feel very grateful and very honored,” EJAE said. “We all worked so hard and this is such a collaborative effort, we just need to thank our directors. They created a beautiful film. Everyone was a part of it and we are just so happy that the hard work paid off.”
She also made sure to recognize the singers she couldn’t mention during the broadcast. “I needed to thank Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna onstage, but I didn’t get to because they just cut us off. They killed it with their singing and they’re just incredible people and I love them so much.”
Lee also completed the remarks that were cut short on live television. “I would like to thank all our families, my fellow IDO members and Teddy Park. This is an incredible honor,” he said.
Sonnenblick echoed the collaborative spirit behind the song and the film. “Everybody who worked on this movie, all the animators, it was a real collaboration across the board,” he said. “It’s a movie where part of the story is about looking at someone that you have been taught to hate and to fear and starting to trust, maybe even love them.” He added that the film’s message is embedded directly into the song itself. “The lyrics aren’t ‘I’m going up, up, up.’ It’s ‘We’re going up, up, up.’ And that’s part of the reason that we’re here right now. So, thanks to the fans too who have loved this movie and made it into what it is.”
Elsewhere in the ceremony, the Live Action Short category produced one of the night’s rare surprises: a tie. It marked only the seventh time in Oscar history that two films have shared the award. The Singers, directed by Sam A. Davis and produced by Jack Piatt, tied with Two People Exchanging Saliva, directed by Alexandre Singh and produced by Natalie Musteata. Singh is of mixed Indian and French descent.
Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet won a single Oscar by way of Best Actress winner Jessie Buckley for her role as Agnes Shakespere.
Another Asian presence could be found in the technical categories when Avatar: Fire and Ash won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. The latest installment in the long-running sci-fi franchise features Trinity Jo-Li Bliss as part of its ensemble cast, continuing the young actor’s role within the sprawling world of Pandora.
Apple’s F1 also snagged technical category wins for Best Sound. The film’s soundtrack includes the song “Messy” by BLACKPINK member Rosé.
Still, the night ultimately belonged to One Battle After Another, which led the awards tally with six wins. The film secured Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Anderson, Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn, as well as trophies for Editing and the newly introduced Best Casting category, before closing out the evening with the ceremony’s top prize: Best Picture.
Full winners can be found here.
Published on March 16, 2026
Words by Daniel Anderson
Daniel Anderson is a disabled Chinese American adoptee based in Seattle. His freelance writing specialties include K-pop, entertainment, and food. He believes that any restaurant can be a buffet, and the key to success is to take a nap each day. Follow his adventures on Instagram @danzstan.