The 98th Oscars: Cate Student’s Comments for the Academy

By Amelia Riepe '27

Hollywood’s biggest night for artistic achievement, better known as the Oscars, sparked everything from hushed debates over outfits in the Co-Lab to passionate, table-wide Booth discussions regarding steals and victories. With a grand champagne carpet entrance, this annual event in Los Angeles is full of grandeur and reserved for the best in the film industry. An Academy Award is recognition for excellence in cinematic achievement, determined by the Academy itself, composed of thousands of well-known artists. The coverage of the numerous upsets, incredible accomplishments, and jokes that didn't quite land at this event is endless on social media recaps and websites, but here’s an inside scoop on what the Mesa thinks of the 2026 Oscars, specifically the moments that resonated most with them, whether it be positive or negative. 

Fiona Pan ‘27 is a dedicated Oscars viewer, and she pointed out some wins and nominations that felt incredibly meaningful and groundbreaking. She noted first, “Paul Thomas Anderson had been nominated 14 times for an Academy Award, but only took home his first few awards this year.” He won 3 Oscars for his film One Battle After Another, taking home Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture. Another win she admired was Jesse Buckley for Best Actress, saying it felt “powerful and it was a really necessary win.” Jesse Buckley represented her homeland of Ireland, becoming the first Irish woman to win in the Best Actress category. 

Valentina Selmoni ‘27 added some inspiring moments that resonated with her, specifically about actor and filmmaker Sean Penn. She said, “Sean Penn won an award, but he skipped the ceremony because of his personal beliefs and criticism against the Academy.” Instead of attending the 2026 Oscars, Penn instead traveled to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine after the 2022 Russian Invasion. Although she had several positive comments about the event, she added some critiques, noting that, “They kept cutting people off with the music when they won the awards, which took away from their moment.” She also expresses disdain for the film KPop Demon Hunters, exclaiming, “Demon Hunters should not have won Best Animated Feature.” Other nominees in this category include Zootopia 2, Arco, Elio, and Little Amelie or the Character of Rain. 

Some students shared admiration for the 2026 Academy Awards, some expressed disagreement, and some expressed… nothing. Wil Rivera ‘27 admitted that he “didn’t even watch the Oscars.” When Analise Gomez was asked about the event, she said, “The Oscars? I thought it was the Emmys that were happening!” The viewership for the 98th Academy Awards dropped to around 17.86 million, a 9% decline from the previous year. Whether this decrease is due to a preference for watching curated highlights online or to the supposed irrelevance of the nominated films, it's hard to say. But one thing is certain: several Cate students took a break from cramming for tests and playing sports to tune in to a truly iconic event, the 2026 Academy Awards!