The Oscars’ First New Category in 24 Years Finds Its Winner With ‘One Battle After Another’

This year, the Academy Awards added the first new awards category in over 20 years, and now we have its first winner. Cassandra Kulukundis, the casting director of One Battle After Another, took home the first prize for Best Casting; it was the first win so far for Paul Thomas Anderson‘s film, which garnered 13 nominations. The film is also up for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Kulukundis is a frequent collaborator with Anderson, starting out as an intern on his first feature, Hard Eight. She made her debut as a casting director on his 1999 film Magnolia, and has cast all of his subsequent features, including The Master,…