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LOS ANGELES<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d<\/a> claimed the first-ever Oscar recognizing casting<\/a> on Sunday, with the award going to casting director Cassandra Kulukundis.<\/p>\n Her win marks the inaugural Oscar in the category<\/a>, the newest the academy has created since the best animated feature film prize was established in the 2001 film year. <\/p>\n \u201cI dedicate this to the casting directors who never got the chance to get up here,\u201d Kulukundis said after thanking the Academy for adding this award.<\/p>\n She also thanked director Paul Thomas Anderson, noting that they \u201cgrew up together\u201d in a sense after working on so many films together. She also said she hoped he wins an award himself tonight.<\/p>\n She hugged cast member Chase Infiniti before she began her speech. While the cast of \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d is full of A-list actors and well-known names, Infiniti made her feature film debut in a crucial role in the film. Kulukundis said she saw \u201chundreds\u201d<\/a> of young actors for the role before finding Infiniti. <\/p>\n Kulukundis has served as the casting director on past Oscar<\/a> favorites including \u201cThe Brutalist\u201d and \u201cThere Will Be Blood.\u201d <\/p>\n She has worked on all 10 of \u201cOne Battle After Another” director Paul Thomas Anderson’s<\/a> feature films, beginning as an intern<\/a> on his debut film \u201cHard Eight\u201d in 1996. <\/p>\n \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d<\/a> follows an ex-revolutionary who is forced back into his former combative lifestyle after a corrupt military officer pursues him and his teenage daughter. The action thriller explores themes of immigration, racism and systemic corruption over the course of its nearly three-hour runtime. It has been praised for its all-star ensemble, which includes Leonardo DiCaprio<\/a>, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor and newcomer Infiniti. DiCaprio, Penn, del Toro and Taylor each received acting nominations for their performances. <\/p>\n The casting Oscar is not in recognition of the performance of the actors, unlike the Actor Awards\u2019 cast prize and other comparable accolades. The best casting award, by contrast, is in recognition of Kulukundis\u2019 behind-the-scenes creative process and collaboration with Anderson and the film\u2019s producers to select the actors for their roles and craft a cohesive ensemble. <\/p>\n Host Conan O\u2019Brien noted the new category addition in his opening monologue. He joked that casting directors are \u201cdream killers,\u201d quipping that for those who didn\u2019t win, the Academy \u201cdecided to go in another direction.\u201d<\/p>\n The other nominees for the casting award were Nina Gold (\u201cHamnet\u201d), Jennifer Venditti (\u201cMarty Supreme\u201d), Gabriel Domingues (\u201cThe Secret Agent\u201d) and Francine Maisler (\u201cSinners\u201d).<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n