Jessie Buckley’s Bafta crown: how one win is reshaping the moment for Irish performers and film crews

Why this matters now: jessie buckley won the Bafta best actress prize on Sunday night, and that single result is already having an outsized effect on the Irish film community — from the actor herself and her young daughter to crews, co-producers and writers tied to Hamnet. The win, coming just two days after a parallel Irish award in Dublin, is the first time an Irish performer has taken Bafta’s best actress trophy and instantly reframes momentum around Irish talent in awards season.

Jessie Buckley’s win: immediate lift for Irish talent and awards momentum

Here’s the part that matters: the award is not only a personal victory. Jessie Buckley’s acceptance at the Royal Festival Hall — presented by Cillian Murphy — has been framed as a national milestone because it marks the first time an Irish performer has won Bafta’s best actress prize. Buckley, who is from Killarney in Co Kerry, had already taken the equivalent Irish film award in Dublin just two days earlier, and that back-to-back run tightens her standing as a frontrunner for the Oscars while spotlighting colleagues and collaborators.

The awards night: winners, shocks and where Hamnet landed

Hamnet, adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, took home the best British film prize and the hit film earned a total of two gongs at the ceremony. Paul Mescal, nominated for playing William Shakespeare in Hamnet, did not win; in the best supporting actor category an absent Sean Penn prevailed for his role in One Battle After Another, a film that went on to claim six Baftas including best director and best adapted screenplay. Robert Aramayo’s surprise victory for best actor in I Swear — beating established contenders — was widely noted as the evening’s biggest shock.

Chloé Zhao and Chloe Zhao on Ireland’s imprint on Hamnet

Chloé Zhao, named in coverage as Hamnet’s director, has spoken about a very personal connection with Ireland and said the film carries "some energy" from the country; at a winners’ press conference she declined to share the personal details but emphasised the land and culture and a desire to remember what might have been forgotten. Separately, Chloe Zhao praised Maggie O’Farrell’s source material as transformative for the production and described taking part as life-changing. Maggie O’Farrell, who is from Coleraine in Northern Ireland, said the cast were simply the best people for the job.

Other Irish names and unexpected triumphs

There were several distinct Irish-linked wins and moments: Richard Baneham, a Tallaght man, took a second Bafta for special visual effects for Avatar: Fire and Ash and thanked director Jim Cameron along with crews in New Zealand and Los Angeles. Element Pictures, described as an Oscar-winning Dublin-based production company, are co-producers of My Father’s Shadow, which won the outstanding debut prize and was shared by Akinola Davies jnr and his co-writer Wale Davies. Robert Aramayo, a Yorkshireman, also collected rising star while his film I Swear was noted as a significant hit in the UK and Ireland despite limited awards traction elsewhere.

How the evening reshuffles awards season dynamics

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners won three categories including original screenplay and original score, and Wunmi Mosaku took best supporting actress in a result described as a minor upset over Carey Mulligan and Teyanna Taylor. That outcome fed commentary about how the Oscar picture is shaping up: Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another now appears in a stronger position after its six Baftas, while Sinners remains a prominent contender. Paul Mescal has accumulated multiple nominations across the season but has yet to secure a prize for his Hamnet role.

• Micro timeline: two days before the Baftas, Jessie Buckley won the equivalent Irish award in Dublin; on Sunday night she won Bafta best actress at the Royal Festival Hall; later the winners’ press conference included statements about Hamnet’s Irish influence.

What’s easy to miss is that Buckley’s acceptance speech also foregrounded her daughter, whom she said has been on the road with her since she was six weeks old; she described motherhood as the best role of her life and framed the Bafta as something shared with that family presence. The real test will be how these outcomes translate into momentum at the Oscars, where the conversation around favourites and front-runners has already shifted.

If you’re wondering why this keeps coming up, it’s because the awards night combined headline wins, surprise actors’ victories and visible Irish contributions — in front of and behind the camera — all in one ceremony.

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