Donna Langley Honored at BAFTAs and Urges the Industry to Embrace Change
donna langley was awarded BAFTA’s highest accolade at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards in London, telling the audience that “we are facing moments of change and disruption today” and urging leaders to back new voices and protect talent.
Donna Langley awarded BAFTA Fellowship at Royal Festival Hall
Dame Donna Langley, chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment and the first British woman to run a major Hollywood studio, was handed a BAFTA Fellowship prize at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards held at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London. Prince William presented the Fellowship and hailed Langley’s “tireless” advocacy for British storytelling and for championing movies that have “shaped culture. ” Alan Cumming hosted the ceremony for the first time.
Langley’s speech: “decency is a superpower” and a call to back new talent
In her remarks, Langley said, “We are facing moments of change and disruption today. My hope is that those of us who help tell stories for a living continue to find inspiration to make popular art that carries over into people’s everyday lives – that helps us understand the world a bit better and to see each other a little more clearly…and reminds us that decency is a superpower. ” She added that “the future of this business is not something that happens to us. It’s something we shape…by the risks we take and the people we back, ” and stressed the importance of the people studios choose to support and “the doors we remember to open. ” The audience was shown a video reel of leading filmmakers Langley has worked with.
A night of winners: Robert Aramayo, Jessie Buckley and One Battle After Another
The awards night also highlighted several major winners: Robert Aramayo had a strong night, taking both best newcomer and best actor awards; Jessie Buckley won best actress for Hamnet among that film’s accolades; and One Battle After Another won best film.
What filmmakers said about Langley
Speakers at the ceremony described Langley’s influence. Steven Spielberg praised her as a “peacemaker” and “dealmaker, ” calling her a creative-rights advocate who believes movies and audiences belong in movie theatres and saying her patience can feel like “our security blanket. ” Christopher Nolan said it was hard to think of a more deserving recipient of a BAFTA Fellowship, praising Langley’s filmmaker-friendly approach, leadership and grasp of the filmmaking process while noting she never loses sight of the audience.
BAFTA’s citation, past fellows and where to look next
BAFTA said it was honoring Langley’s “transformative leadership in the face of rapid change and disruption” at NBCUniversal Entertainment and pointed to her role in films including Oppenheimer, Bridget Jones, and Straight Outta Compton. Past BAFTA Fellowship recipients listed include Dame Helen Mirren, Sidney Poitier, Mel Brooks, Sir Ridley Scott, Thelma Schoonmaker, Kathleen Kennedy and Ang Lee; the most recent recipient before Langley was Warwick Davis at the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards.
Watch highlights, related clips and site notes
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Related coverage, audience interaction and next items
Organizers and coverage pages linked related stories including commentary on a night of BAFTA surprises and Robert Aramayo’s wins. Viewers were invited to sign up for breaking news alerts and newsletters; comments were monitored with guidance not to go off topic or impersonate anyone, and signups were governed by terms of use and privacy policy language. The full list of winners from the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards was made available by organisers, and the ceremony’s next confirmed milestones are the publication of that winners list and the ongoing availability of the highlights and related video clips.
