The 79th British Academy Film Awards brought glamour and celebration to London on Sunday night, as the film industry gathered at the Royal Festival Hall to honour the year’s best in cinema. Hosted by Alan Cumming, the ceremony recognised standout performances, direction and storytelling across global filmmaking.
A competitive awards night
This year's BAFTA race was closely contested. Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another led the nominations with 14, followed by Ryan Coogler’s Sinners with 13. Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet and Josh Safdie's Marty Supreme secured 11 nominations each.
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Hamnet set a milestone as the most-nominated film directed by a woman in BAFTA history, while Sinners became the most-nominated film by a Black director. Opening the ceremony, BAFTA chair Sara Putt praised nominees for giving audiences "windows into other worlds and sometimes, yes, a respite from this one", adding that their excellence came with "no algorithms involved", a Variety report stated.
Top honours of the night
One Battle After Another emerged as the biggest winner, taking home Best Film along with multiple major awards. Paul Thomas Anderson won Best Director and also secured Best Adapted Screenplay for the same film. Sean Penn received Best Supporting Actor for his role in the project.
In acting categories, Robert Aramayo won Best Leading Actor for I Swear, while Jessie Buckley took Best Leading Actress for Hamnet. Wunmi Mosaku earned Best Supporting Actress for Sinners, and Ryan Coogler won Best Original Screenplay for Sinners.
Key category winners
Hamnet was named Outstanding British Film, while Sentimental Value won Best Film Not in the English Language. In technical categories, Avatar: Fire and Ash secured Best Visual Effects, and Frankenstein won Best Costume Design.
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The Children and Family Film award went to Boong, and My Father’s Shadow, created by Akinola Davies Jr and Wale Davies, won Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer. Robert Aramayo also received the EE Rising Star Award.
Films that dominated BAFTA 2026
Among the night’s biggest winners, One Battle After Another led with six awards. Sinners and Frankenstein followed with three wins each, while Hamnet and I Swear secured two awards apiece, marking a memorable evening celebrating diverse storytelling and cinematic achievement.
