Canadian Filmmakers Shine at the Oscars

The biggest night in film has wrapped up, and several Canadians stood out at the 98th Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday night. 

Highlight film “One Battle After Another” topped the awards with six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Casting, while “Sinners” followed closely with four Oscars, including Best Actor In a Leading Role. 

Here are some of the key winners, featuring Canadians celebrated for their contributions to cinema. 

Filmmakers from Toronto and Montreal win Oscars 

Netflix’s worldwide hit “KPop Demon Hunters” snagged two Oscars, one for Best Original Song for “Golden” and another for Best Animated Feature, awarded to Toronto’s Maggie Kang, who directed the film. 

In her acceptance speech, Kang dedicated the award “to Koreans everywhere” represented in the wildly popular Netflix title that became the most viewed film in platform history. 

Kang, raised in Toronto during the 1990s, always admired K-Pop and had been waiting for its global spotlight. 

“It’s pretty wild. You don’t ever know what the reaction is going to be, really, when you’re making these things,” Kang told CBC.

“We were very hopeful it would find its audience. It feels like it has and they really latched onto it. Now it’s spreading to other areas that we didn’t think it was going to get to. We’re very happy and excited and overwhelmed.”

Montreal filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski also received recognition by winning Best Animated Short for their puppet film “The Girl Who Cried Pearls.”

“People think it takes patience to take five years to make a puppet film. It actually takes patience to live with someone who takes five years to make a puppet film,” Lavis shared during his acceptance speech.

The story revolves around a less fortunate boy who falls for a girl who cries tears of pearl at night; he sells these pearls to a pawnbroker and faces a choice between love and wealth.

Other Canadians celebrated on Oscar night included: Toronto-based Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey, part of the team honored with an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling for Guillermo del Toro’s reimagined “Frankenstein.”

Catherine O’Hara Honored During Touching In Memoriam Segment

The late Catherine O’Hara from Toronto was recognized by fellow Canadian actress Rachel Mc Adams in an emotional In Memoriam tribute during Sunday evening’s ceremony.

O’Hara enjoyed a remarkable career that featured roles in successful Canadian series like “Schitt’s Creek”. She passed away at age 71 after battling an illness privately since late January.

A visibly emotional Mc Adams acknowledged O’Hara as a “fellow Canadian” and “comedic genius” who “made us laugh until we cried.”

Rachel Mc Adams tearfully honored “comedic genius” Catherine O’Hara and “icon” Diane Keaton in a moving in memoriam tribute at the Oscars. https://t. co/5SQq EDFwh Xpic. twitter. com/tdi4YCh Ns Y

– E! News (@enews) March 16, 2026

Main Winners of the 2026 Oscars

Here are some notable winners across major categories from this year’s Oscars:

Best Picture – “One Battle After Another”Best Actress In A Leading Role – Jessie Buckley – “Hamnet”Best Actor In A Leading Role – Michael B. Jordan – “Sinners”Best Actress In A Supporting Role – Amy Madigan – “Weapons”Best Actor In A Supporting Role – Sean Penn – “One Battle After Another”Best Director – Paul Thomas Anderson – “One Battle After Another”Best Animated Feature – “KPop Demon Hunters”Best Original Song – “Golden” (K Pop Demon Hunters)Best International Feature – Sentimental Value Best Documentary Feature – “Mr. Nobody Against Putin”Best Original Score – Ludwig Goransson – “Sinners”

Your Guide to Watching Oscar-Nominated Films on Streaming Platforms

Here are this year’s nominees for Best Picture along with where you can catch each of them online:“One Battle After Another”- Streaming on Crave“Sinners”- Streaming on Crave“Frankenstein”- Streaming on Netflix“Bugonia”- Streaming on Prime Video“F1”- Streaming on Apple TV“Hamnet”- In select theatres; available for purchase or rent on Apple TV“Marty Supreme”- In select theatres; available for purchase or rent on Apple TV“Sentimental Value”- In select theatres; available for purchase or rent on Apple TV“The Secret Agent”- Available for purchase or rent on Apple TV“Train Dreams”- Streaming on Netflix

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