The 98th Academy Awards aired on ABC on Sunday evening, offering a feast of cinematic celebration, Hollywood fanfare and competitive tension in a high stakes face-off for the coveted Oscars award.

With titles such as “Frankenstein” winning Oscars in production design, costume design and makeup and hairstyling, and others like “Hamnet” only winning in the case of Jessie Buckley earningBest Actress in a Lead Role — there was stark competition this year. Yet, there was no greater rivalry than between the cast and crew of “Sinners” versus “One Battle After Another.”

At the 2018 Academy Awards when Greta Gerwig’s Sacramento-based coming-of-age flick “Lady Bird” made waves and scored five nominations, many Sacramento residents felt that the city was finally earning its place in the limelight. Watching Gerwig’s ascent into directorial stardom in 2023 with “Barbie” becoming a cultural phenomenon only solidified this notion.

This time, Sacramento’s film cradle expanded with “Sinners,” a horror film set in a Jim Crow era Mississippi, directed by Sacramento State alumnus Ryan Coogler.

RELATED: Something to sink your teeth into: ‘Sinners’ is an instant classic

Aside from the record-breaking 16 Oscars nominations, the film went away with four Oscars, including Best Original Score won by Ludwig Göransson, Best Actor won by Michael B. Jordan, Best Original Screenplay won by Coogler himself and Best Cinematography won by Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the first woman to win in the category.

Growing up in the East Bay and transferring from Saint Mary’s to Sac State on a football scholarship, Coogler graduated with a degree in business administration as a D1 wide receiver, while simultaneously taking several film classes. He later attended the University of Southern California, earning a Master of Fine arts in film and television production in 2011.

Sacramento’s pride already swelled when Coogler directed “Creed” as well as the first and second “Black Panther” movies, which each earned Oscars nominations of their own. Yet, Coogler securing the Best Original Screenplay Oscar truly makes the alumnus shine brighter than the Tower Bridge.

Coogler, winner of the Best Original Screenplay award, directs Best Actor winner Michael B. Jordan in the production of “Sinners.” Coogler attended Sac State as a football player and business administration student before attending University of Southern California to pursue film. (Photo courtesy of Warner Bros)

In another win for Sacramento, “One Battle After Another,” the recipient of the Best Picture award, filmed portions of the blockbuster in Sacramento in early 2024.

Over a dozen Sacramento locations were featured in the action-thriller following a radical revolutionary on a mission to rescue his daughter from government forces. Locations included the Sacramento County Courthouse, the Tower Bridge and the Fab 40’s area.

RELATED: Bullet holes and bank rolls: ‘One Battle After Another’ is an emotional epic

According to location scout Tyler Semons, the production team scouted Sacramento for its ability to look like “Anytown, USA,” which served up brutalist architecture as a backdrop for dramatic car chase scenes and political commentary.

Across 16 shooting days within the city, “One Battle After Another” spent $5.3 million and hired 172 local workers, sparking excitement and boosting the local economy, according to The Sacramento Bee.

“One Battle After Another” actors Teyana Taylor and Leonardo DiCaprio during a scene in Sacramento shot outside the Sacramento County Courthouse building. The Best Picture-winning film was shot in over a dozen locations throughout Sacramento. (Photo courtesy of Warner Bros)

Though the film walked away from the Academy Awards empty handed, Best Picture nominee “Marty Supreme” also had a Sacramento tie in its filmmaking process. The film stars Timothée Chalamet as Marty Mauser, a fictional table tennis player loosely based on professional table tennis player Marty Reisman.

Scott Gordon, a longtime professional table tennis player, Sac State computer science professor and Carmichael resident, personally knew Marty Reisman and served as a table tennis consultant for the film.

Timothée Chalamet as the character Marty Mauser in Best Picture nominee “Marty Supreme.” Mauser was based off of real-life table tennis player Marty Reisman, who Carmichael resident, Sac State professor and table tennis consultant for the film Scott Gordon personally knew. (Photo courtesy of A24)

With three Best Picture powerhouses having ties to Sacramento, it’s difficult not to see California’s capital city turning into a location of interest for filmmakers and actors alike. As the Cooglers and Gerwigs of the world rise into the Hollywood stratosphere, Sacramento residents are emboldened to ask one prodigious question: “What’s the next big thing, and how can I be an extra?”