Robert Aramayo stuns at BAFTAs as One Battle After Another dominates ceremony
robert aramayo produced the biggest upset of the night at the EE BAFTA Film Awards, taking the leading actor prize and the rising star award as Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another swept six trophies. The results reshaped expectations ahead of the Academy Awards on 15 March.
Robert Aramayo’s surprise best actor victory
The 33-year-old Hull-born actor, who starred in I Swear as John Davidson, a campaigner for Tourette’s syndrome, won the best actor award in a result that drew audible gasps backstage. robert aramayo also collected the BAFTA rising star prize earlier in the evening, marking the first time an actor has won both categories in the same year. In emotional remarks he said he “absolutely can’t believe this” and later told the crowd, “I honestly cannot believe this. ”
One Battle After Another’s six BAFTAs and Paul Thomas Anderson’s acceptance
The darkly comic, offbeat thriller One Battle After Another was the night’s biggest winner, taking six awards out of 14 nominations, including best film and best director for Paul Thomas Anderson. The film also won for adapted screenplay, cinematography and editing, and Sean Penn won best supporting actor for his portrayal of Colonel Steven Lockjaw; Penn was not in attendance. Anderson, who had previously won a BAFTA for best original screenplay for Licorice Pizza in 2022, acknowledged the scale of the night and invoked a Nina Simone line used in the film: “I know what freedom is: It’s no fear, ” urging filmmakers to keep working without fear.
Jessie Buckley and Hamnet’s two wins
Jessie Buckley won best actress for her portrayal of Agnes in Hamnet, the film adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel directed by Chloe Zhao. Buckley became the first Irish actress to win the BAFTA best actress award and said the prize belonged to “the women past, present and future” who taught her. Hamnet finished the night with two awards, including best British film.
Royal attendance, remarks and the Mountbatten‑Windsor arrest
Guests of honour Prince William and Princess Kate walked the red carpet before the ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall and made remarks behind the scenes. William, attending in his capacity as president of the academy, gave a speech and told the Southbank Centre’s chief executive Elaine Bedell that he had yet to see the emotion-laden film and that “I need to be in quite a calm state and I’m not at the moment. ” He said the F1 movie was “fantastic, mainly because of the music” by Hans Zimmer, and admitted he had not watched Sinners yet, calling it “a bit dark. ” The Princess told BAFTA film committee chair Emily Stillman she had watched the drama about the death of Shakespeare’s son on Saturday and called it “a very bad idea” because she “ended up with very puffy eyes. ” It was the couple’s first joint public engagement since Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor was arrested on Thursday, an arrest that took place last week on suspicion of misconduct in public office. William presented the BAFTA Fellowship to Donna Langley, studio head at NBC Universal.
Technical, documentary and screenplay prizes
Sinners, a vampire thriller with a record 16 Oscar nominations, took home three BAFTAs: best original screenplay for writer‑director Ryan Coogler, best supporting actress for Wunmi Mosaku, and best original score. The gothic horror Frankenstein also secured three awards. The best documentary prize went to Mr Nobody Against Putin, about a Russian teacher who documented propaganda in schools after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine; director David Borenstein highlighted Pavel Talankin’s work and said it demonstrates that “whether it’s in Russia or the streets of Minneapolis, we always face a moral choice, ” a comment made in the context of recent protests against US immigration enforcement in Minnesota. The documentary beat contenders including Mstyslav Chernov’s 2000 Meters to Andriivka. The non‑English language category was won by Sentimental Value, while The Voice of Hind Rajab was among the contenders in non‑English and best director fields.
Backstage moments, red carpet and awards context
Journalists gathered as Britain’s Paddington Bear posed on the red carpet and, for what felt like the first time all year, the sun came out at the Royal Festival Hall. The ceremony included A‑list arrivals—Timothée Chalamet attended with his long‑term partner Kylie Jenner—and moments of visible emotion across winners and audiences. Timothée Chalamet’s film Marty Supreme entered the night with 11 nominations and left with none; the film’s lead character was depicted as continually trying to succeed but never quite getting there. Alan Cumming hosted the ceremony, and the night’s mix of major surprises and dominant wins reshuffled the awards narrative heading into the Oscars. The timing matters because the BAFTA results often hint at Academy momentum, and with the Oscars scheduled for 15 March, several winners now head into that race with renewed attention.
