Dame Donna Langley Awarded BAFTA Fellowship as 2026 Ceremony Honors Robert Aramayo and Jessie Buckley
dame donna langley was presented with BAFTA’s highest honor, the Fellowship, at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards in London, an event that also saw Robert Aramayo take both best newcomer and best actor and Jessie Buckley win best actress. The recognition came amid remarks that framed the moment as one of transformation for the film business and a call to back new voices.
Dame Donna Langley Receives BAFTA Fellowship
BAFTA handed its Fellowship prize to Dame Donna Langley in a ceremony at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London. Langley, identified in the program as the chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment, was cited for "transformative leadership in the face of rapid change and disruption" and for her role in films including Oppenheimer, Bridget Jones and Straight Outta Compton. The Academy noted those credits directly when announcing the honor, and the evening included a video reel of leading filmmakers with whom she has worked.
Prince William Presents Fellowship and Hails Advocacy
Prince William presented the Fellowship and praised Langley’s "tireless" advocacy for British storytelling and for championing movies that have "shaped culture. " The presentation underscored an official recognition of Langley’s influence on the industry and on films that have resonated with audiences.
Langley Frames Award as Call to Adapt and Back Talent
Onstage Langley told the assembled audience that "we are facing moments of change and disruption today" and urged filmmakers and executives to continue to take risks and to make room for new voices. She said the future of the business is something the industry must shape by the risks it takes and the people it backs, adding that the most meaningful part of her work has been "the people we choose to support along the way, " the voices encouraged, the talent protected "long enough for them to find their feet, " and the doors remembered to be opened. That framing connected the Fellowship recognition to a forward-looking agenda for talent development and resilience.
Tributes from Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan
The ceremony incorporated filmed tributes. Steven Spielberg described Langley as a peacemaker, dealmaker and advocate for filmmakers’ creative rights, praising her embrace of new business, technology and ideas and her belief that movies and audiences belong in theatres. Christopher Nolan called her a deserving recipient, praising Langley’s filmmaker-friendly insights, leadership that commands respect, and her grasp of filmmaking while keeping sight of the audience. Those remarks were shown as part of the night's celebration of her career.
Baftas Winners: Robert Aramayo, One Battle After Another, and Hamnet
The awards night also highlighted several film winners. Robert Aramayo enjoyed a strong night for British cinema, taking both the best newcomer and best actor awards. One Battle After Another was named best film. Hamnet also registered success, with Jessie Buckley winning best actress among the film’s accolades. The ceremony was hosted for the first time by Alan Cumming. A highlights video of the BAFTAs, running 1 minute 54 seconds, circulated alongside coverage of the event.
Context of the Fellowship in BAFTA History
The Fellowship sits in a line of previous recipients that includes 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, who received the Fellowship at the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards. The ceremony’s program and presentations tied Langley’s individual career milestones and executive role at NBCUniversal Entertainment to the historic pattern of BAFTA recognizing long-standing contributions to film.
One minor technical note from the night: the BAFTA website briefly displayed a "Click here if you are not redirected automatically" message during online navigation of the awards material. Overall, the evening combined high-profile tributes, a filmed roll-call of supporters, and awards recognition that underscored industry attention on leadership, theatrical audiences and new talent in a period described onstage as one of disruption.
