Lyrical Muse

On a night that thrives on tradition, the 79th BAFTA Film Awards felt thrillingly unpredictable. Yes, One Battle After Another arrived as the front-runner — 14 nominations strong — but what unfolded inside London’s grandest film ceremony was more than a victory lap.

The film tightened its grip on the season with six wins, including Best Film and Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson, turning quiet awards momentum into a full-blown coronation. By the time the final envelope opened, its dominance no longer felt statistical; it felt inevitable.

Still, BAFTAs never lets the narrative run too smoothly.

The room audibly shifted when Robert Aramayo, fresh off receiving the EE Rising Star Award, triumphed in Best Actor for I Swear, edging past heavyweights including Timothée Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio.

The film’s real-life subject, Tourette Syndrome campaigner John Davidson, sat among the nominees, prompting host Alan Cumming to gently remind the audience, “Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.” It was a small, steadying moment, and one that grounded the glamour in something real.

History carved its place elsewhere in the night. Ryan Coogler’s Sinners secured three awards, becoming the most-decorated BAFTA title from a Black director and earning Coogler the first Black win in the original screenplay category.

His speech cut through the ceremony’s polish. “When y’all look at that blank page, think of who you love… and let that love motivate you,” he said. It felt less like advice and more like a creative creed.

Meanwhile, Hamnet gave British cinema a proud moment, with Chloé Zhao’s adaptation winning Outstanding British Film and Jessie Buckley taking Best Actress in a disarmingly candid speech that had the audience laughing with her, not at her.

See all the full list of 2026 BAFTA winners below.

Best Film

• Winner: One Battle After Another
• Hamnet
• Marty Supreme
• Sentimental Value
• Sinners

Outstanding British Film

• Winner: Hamnet
• 28 Years Later
• The Ballad of Wallis Island
• Bridget Jones: Mad about the Boy
• Die My Love
• H Is For Hawk
• I Swear
• Mr Burton
• Pillion
• Steve

Leading Actress

• Winner: Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
• Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
• Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue
• Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
• Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
• Emma Stone – Bugonia

Leading Actor

• Winner: Robert Aramayo – I Swear
• Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
• Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
• Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
• Michael B Jordan -Sinners
• Jesse Plemons – Bugonia

Supporting Actress

• Winner: Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
• Odessa A’zion – Marty Supreme
• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
• Carey Mulligan – The Ballad of Wallis Island
• Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
• Emily Watson – Hamnet

Supporting Actor

• Winner: Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
• Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
• Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
• Paul Mescal – Hamnet
• Peter Mullan – I Swear
• Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value

Director

• Winner: One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson
• Bugonia – Yorgos Lanthimos
• Hamnet – Chloé Zhao
• Marty Supreme – Josh Safdie
• Sentimental Value – Joachim Trier
• Sinners – Ryan Coogler

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer

• Winner: My Father’s Shadow
• The Ceremony
• Pillion
• A Want In Her
• Wasteman

Film Not in the English Language

• Winner: Sentimental Value
• It Was Just An Accident
• The Secret Agent
• Sirât
• The Voice of Hind Rajab

Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema

Winner: Claire Binns, creative director of Picturehouse Cinemas and Picturehouse Entertainment

Documentary

• Winner: Mr Nobody Against Putin
• 2000 Meters to Andriivka
• Apocalypse in the Tropics
• Cover-Up
• The Perfect Neighbor

Animated Film

• Winner: Zootropolis 2
• Elio
• Little Amélie

Children’s and Family Film

• Winner: Boong
• Arco
• Lilo & Stitch
• Zootropolis 2

Original Screenplay

• Winner: Sinners
• I Swear
• Marty Supreme
• The Secret Agent
• Sentimental Value

Adapted Screenplay

• Winner: One Battle After Another
• The Ballad of Wallis Island
• Bugonia
• Hamnet
• Pillion

EE Bafta Rising Star Award (voted for by the public)

• Winner: Robert Aramayo
• Miles Caton
• Chase Infiniti
• Archie Madekwe
• Posy Sterling

Original Score

• Winner: Sinners – Ludwig Göransson
• Bugonia – Jerskin Fendrix
• Frankenstein – Alexandre Desplat
• Hamnet – Max Richter
• One Battle After Another – Jonny Greenwood

Casting

• Winner: I Swear
• Marty Supreme
• One Battle After Another
• Sentimental Value
• Sinners

Cinematography

• Winner: One Battle After Another
• Frankenstein
• Marty Supreme
• Sinners
• Train Dreams

Costume design

• Winner: Frankenstein
• Hamnet
• Marty Supreme
• Sinners
• Wicked: For Good

Editing

• Winner: One Battle After Another
• F1
• A House of Dynamite
• Marty Supreme
• Sinners

Production Design

• Winner: Frankenstein
• Hamnet
• Marty Supreme
• One Battle After Another
• Sinners

Make-up and Hair

• Winner: Frankenstein
• Hamnet
• Marty Supreme
• Sinners
• Wicked: For Good

Sound

• Winner: F1
• Frankenstein
• One Battle After Another
• Sinners
• Warfare

Special Visual Effects

• Winner: Avatar: Fire and Ash
• F1
• Frankenstein
• How to Train Your Dragon
• The Lost Bus

British Short Film

• Winner: This Is Endometriosis
• Magid / Zafar
• Nostalgie
• Terence
• Welcome Home Freckles

British Short Animation

• Winner: Two Black Boys in Paradise
• Cardboard
• Solstice

Did BAFTA 2026 get it right? Tell us your biggest wins and snubs on X, and visit Lyrical Muse for more award-season coverage.