One Battle After Another wins Best Film, 5 other honors at BAFTA 2026
One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson’s explosive film about a group of revolutionaries in chaotic conflict with the state, won awards for directing, adapted screenplay, cinematography and editing, as well as Sean Penn’s supporting performance as an obsessed military officer.
Politically charged thriller “One Battle After Another” won six awards, including best picture, at the British Academy Film Awards on Sunday, building momentum ahead of Hollywood’s Academy Awards next month.
The blues-steeped vampire epic “Sinners” and the Gothic horror story “Frankenstein” won three awards each, while the Shakespearean family tragedy “Hamnet” won two, including best British film.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s explosive film “One Battle After Another,” about a group of revolutionaries in a chaotic conflict with the state, won awards for directing, adapted screenplay, cinematography and editing as well as Sean Penn’s supporting performance as an obsessed military officer.
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“It’s just tremendous and wonderful,” Anderson said while accepting the directing award. He paid tribute to his old assistant director, Adam Somner, who died of cancer a few weeks into production in November 2024.
“We have a line from Nina Simone that we used in our film, ‘I know what freedom is: there’s no fear,'” the director said. “Let’s keep making things without fear. It’s a good idea.”
Bookmakers’ favorite Jessie Buckley won best actress for playing grieving mother Agnes Hathaway, William Shakespeare’s wife, in “Hamnet.” She is the first Irish artist to win the Best Actress award at the awards known as BAFTA.
In a major upset, Robert Aramayo won the best actor category for his performance in “I Swear,” a British indie drama about a campaigner for people with Tourette syndrome.
The 33-year-old British actor looked stunned and described the win over Ethan Hawke, Michael B. Jordan, Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothee Chalamet as “absolutely crazy.”
“I just can’t believe it,” he said. “Everyone in this category amazes me.”
“Sinners” won domestic trophies for director Ryan Coogler’s original screenplay, the film’s musical score and supporting actress Wunmi Mosaku’s performance as herbalist and healer Annie.
The British-Nigerian actor said that in the role he found “a part of my hopes, my ancestral strength and my connection, some parts that I thought I had lost or lost as an immigrant trying to fit in.”
Stars and Royalty
Hollywood stars and British celebrities from Paddington Bear to the Prince and Princess of Wales gathered at London’s Royal Festival Hall for the awards. DiCaprio, Chalamet, Emma Stone, Cillian Murphy, Glenn Close and Ethan Hawke were among the stars who walked the red carpet before the black-tie ceremony hosted by Scottish actor Alan Cumming.
Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales also attended, three days after William’s uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested and detained for 11 hours by police over allegations he sent sensitive government information to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The scandal has rocked the royal family led by King Charles III, although William and Kate remain popular standard-bearers of the monarchy. William is to present an award in his role as president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
The biggest reception from gathered fans was for puppet Paddington Bear, who stars in the musical stage adaptation of the beloved children’s classic.
oscar bellwether
The British awards, officially called the EE BAFTA Film Awards, often provide clues about who will win at Hollywood’s Academy Awards, held on March 15 this year. “Sinners” has a record 16 Oscar nominations, followed by “One Battle After Another” with 13.
“One Battle” entered the BAFTA ceremony with 14 nominations. “Sinners” was close behind with 13, while “Hamnet” had 11.
Ping-pong odyssey “Marty Supreme” also received 11 nominations but went home empty-handed.
Guillermo del Toro’s reimagining of “Frankenstein” and the Norwegian family drama “Sentimental Value” each received eight nominations.
“Frankenstein” won awards for production design, costume design and the hair and makeup artists who spent 10 hours a day transforming Jacob Elordi into the film’s monstrous creature.
“Sentimental Value” won Best Film Not in English.
Cumming told the audience that it has been a strong year for cinema, if not an encouraging one, as the nominated films tackle topics including child deaths, racism and political violence:
“Watching movies this year was like taking part in a mass nervous breakdown,” he said. “It’s almost as if there are some events going on in the real world that are affecting filmmakers.”
However, the ceremony was more glitz than glam, including a performance by AJ, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami — the voices of the animated band Hunter/X in the box office hit “Kpop Demon Hunters” — singing the movie hit “Golden.”
Putin Critic wins best documentary
The award for best documentary went to “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” about a Russian teacher who documented the propaganda imposed on Russian schools after the invasion of Ukraine.
The film’s American director, David Borenstein, said that teacher Pavel Talankin had shown that “whether it’s in Russia or the streets of Minneapolis, we are always faced with a moral choice,” referring to protests against US immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
“We need more Mr. Nobodies,” he said.
It beat out documentaries including Mstislav Chernov’s harrowing Ukraine war portrait “2000 Meters to Andreevka,” co-produced by The Associated Press and Frontline PBS.
Most BAFTA winners are chosen by the 8,500 members of the UK Academy of Industry Professionals. The Rising Star award, which is decided by public vote, went to Aramayo.
Donna Langley, the British-born president of NBCUniversal Entertainment, was awarded a BAFTA Fellowship, the British Academy’s highest honor.
The ceremony airs on E! 8 PM EST in the US.
