BAFTA Film Awards 2026 Winners
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Clients: Ryan Coogler – Writer, Director; Ke Huy Quan – Talent
“One Battle After Another” dominated the 79th BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday night, taking home six prizes including best film and director for Paul Thomas Anderson.
The biggest night for movies in the U.K. — and one of the biggest globally — was hosted by “The Traitors” favorite Alan Cumming, who kept the mood light with bits that included handing out British snacks to Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner and roasting Paul Mescal for being on his phone in the crowd.
Early winners included Sean Penn, who took home the supporting actor prize for his performance in “One Battle After Another,” and Wunmi Mosaku, who won best supporting actress for “Sinners.” “Frankenstein” emerged as the leader in the craft categories, winning in production design, make-up and hair and costume design.
The biggest shock of the ceremony came when Robert Aramayo, after picking up the EE Rising Star Award, beat out the likes of Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio for best actor. The British star leads “I Swear,” an indie biopic about real-life Tourette Syndrome campaigner John Davidson, who was in attendance at the ceremony. Due to Davidson’s tics, which oftentimes include offensive language, host Cumming addressed the crowd twice during the night to ask for their understanding.
“You may have noticed some strong language in the background. This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience,” Cumming told the audience, which included the Prince and Princess of Wales. “Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.”
Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” made history with three wins — becoming the most-decorated film from a Black director — for original screenplay, supporting actress for Wunmi Mosaku and original score for Ludwig Göransson. Coogler also became the first Black winner in the original screenplay category, and he used his speech as a chance to inspire others.
“For all the writers out there, when y’all look at that blank page, think of who you love, think of anybody who you’ve seen in pain that you identify with and wish they felt better and let that love motivate you,” he said. “I’ll be forever grateful for this, thank you all.”
After Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet” won outstanding British film, its leading lady Jessie Buckley took home the best actress prize. Buckley, who is also a favorite in the Oscar race, drew laughs from the crowd with her honest and endearing speech, during which she forgot a few of her fellow nominees (“Kate! Kate! There you are,” she said to Kate Hudson).
“You’re all just radical and you’re doing it for the naughty girls and I’m in awe of all your incredible performances,” Buckley continued, before admitting: “Oh God, I should have brought my thing up here.”
Elsewhere, “Sentimental Value” became the first Norwegian film to win a BAFTA award with its win for film not in the English language and British international feature Oscar entry “My Father’s Shadow” won outstanding British debut. There were also performances from “KPop Demon Hunters” singers EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, who played live in the U.K. for the first time, and Jessie Ware, who sang a cover of Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were” for the In Memoriam section.
Going into the ceremony, “One Battle After Another” led the nomination pack with 14 — just short of the record of 16 set by “Gandhi” — closely followed by Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” with 13. Both Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet” and Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme” had 11, though the latter ended up being shut out of the awards entirely, tying the record for most BAFTA losses in history.
See all the 2026 BAFTA Film Award winners below.
Original Screenplay
“I Swear,” Kirk Jones
“Marty Supreme,” Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie
“The Secret Agent,” Kleber Mendonça Filho
“Sentimental Value,” Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier
“Sinners,” Ryan Coogler (WINNER)
Animated Film
“Elio” — Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina, Mary Alice Drumm
“Little Amélie” — Mailys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han, Nidia Santiago, Edwina Liard, Claire Le Combe, Henri Magalon
“Zootropolis 2” — Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Yvett Merino (WINNER)