BAFTA Awards 2026: One Battle After Another Dominates as Robert Aramayo Shocks in a Night of Upsets
The 79th EE BAFTA Film Awards delivered one of the most talked-about ceremonies in years on Sunday, February 22, as Paul Thomas Anderson's political thriller One Battle After Another swept to six wins and an unknown British actor stunned Hollywood royalty to claim Best Actor. Hosted by Alan Cumming at London's Royal Festival Hall, the BAFTA 2026 ceremony aired on BBC One and streamed on iPlayer in the UK, with a pre-recorded broadcast airing at 8 p.m. ET on E! in the US.
BAFTA Winners 2026: The Complete Key Awards List
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Film | One Battle After Another |
| Best Director | Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another |
| Leading Actor | Robert Aramayo — I Swear |
| Leading Actress | Jessie Buckley — Hamnet |
| Supporting Actor | Sean Penn — One Battle After Another |
| Supporting Actress | Wunmi Mosaku — Sinners |
| Outstanding British Film | Hamnet |
| Original Screenplay | Ryan Coogler — Sinners |
| Adapted Screenplay | Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another |
| Animated Film | Zootropolis 2 |
| Documentary | Mr. Nobody Against Putin |
| Film Not in English Language | Sentimental Value |
| Best Cinematography | One Battle After Another |
| Best Editing | One Battle After Another |
| Original Score | Sinners — Ludwig Göransson |
| Costume Design | Frankenstein |
| Make Up & Hair | Frankenstein |
| Production Design | Frankenstein |
| Special Visual Effects | Avatar: Fire and Ash |
| Sound | F1 |
| Outstanding British Debut | My Father's Shadow — Akinola Davies Jr. |
| EE Rising Star (Public Vote) | Robert Aramayo |
| BAFTA Fellowship | Dame Donna Langley (NBCUniversal) |
One Battle After Another and Paul Thomas Anderson Lead the BAFTA Night
One Battle After Another won six BAFTAs, including Best Film, Best Director, Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actor, Cinematography, and Editing. The film had the most longlists of any title in BAFTA history with sixteen mentions going into awards season. This marked a first-time Best Director BAFTA win for Paul Thomas Anderson. Anderson, who received a standing ovation, had a pointed message for skeptics who say cinema is no longer great.
Robert Aramayo's Shock BAFTA Win Over DiCaprio and Chalamet
The biggest moment of the BAFTA 2026 ceremony came when relative newcomer Robert Aramayo beat out Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet, Michael B. Jordan, Ethan Hawke, and Jesse Plemons to claim Best Actor for the UK film I Swear. His win was met with audible gasps from the audience. He had already collected the EE Rising Star Award earlier in the night — the only BAFTA category voted for by the British public — making him a double winner on the evening.
Sinners Makes BAFTA History with Three Wins
Sinners won three BAFTAs: Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler, Supporting Actress for Wunmi Mosaku, and Original Score for Ludwig Göransson. Coogler became the first Black filmmaker to win in the Original Screenplay category. Sinners also became the most-nominated film by a Black director in BAFTA history.
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet, and Frankenstein Also Score Big
After Hamnet won Outstanding British Film, its leading actress Jessie Buckley took home Best Actress, drawing laughs from the crowd with a candid, endearing speech. Frankenstein won three craft BAFTAs: Costume Design, Make Up & Hair, and Production Design. Sentimental Value became the first Norwegian film ever to win a BAFTA, taking Film Not in the English Language.
Royal Attendance and the Road to the Oscars
Prince William and Kate Middleton attended the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards, marking the Princess of Wales' first appearance at the event in three years. With One Battle After Another now firmly leading the awards season narrative, all eyes shift to the Academy Awards in just three weeks — where its chief rival Sinners leads all films with a record 16 Oscar nominations.
