The British Academy Film Awards announced their 2026 winners on Sunday, with 'One Battle After Another' claiming the top film prize. Director Paul Thomas Anderson's film dominated multiple categories, while Robert Aramayo won both Best Actor and the public-voted Rising Star award.
LONDON — The British Academy of Film and Television Arts revealed its 2026 award recipients on Sunday, recognizing excellence in cinema across multiple categories.
‘One Battle After Another’ emerged as the evening’s biggest winner, taking home the coveted Best Film award. The production also earned director Paul Thomas Anderson the directing prize, while Sean Penn received recognition as Best Supporting Actor for his role in the same film.
Robert Aramayo had a particularly successful night, earning both the Best Actor award for ‘I Swear’ and the Rising Star honor, which is determined by public voting.
In the actress categories, Jessie Buckley claimed the lead actress prize for her performance in ‘Hamnet,’ while Wunmi Mosaku won Best Supporting Actress for ‘Sinners.’
‘Hamnet’ also secured the British Film award, highlighting domestic cinema achievements.
Technical categories saw ‘One Battle After Another’ continue its winning streak, with Michael Bauman taking cinematography honors and Andy Jurgensen winning for editing. Paul Thomas Anderson added another trophy to his collection with the Adapted Screenplay award.
Ryan Coogler earned the Original Screenplay prize for ‘Sinners,’ which also won the Musical Score category.
Other notable winners included ‘Sentimental Value’ for Best Film Not in the English Language, and ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ for Visual Effects.
In specialized categories, ‘Frankenstein’ dominated design awards, winning both Production Design and Costume Design through Kate Hawley’s work, plus Makeup and Hair.
The animated film category went to ‘Zootropolis 2,’ known as ‘Zootopia 2’ in American markets.
Documentary honors went to ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin,’ while ‘This is Endometriosis’ won British Short Film and ‘Two Black Boys in Paradise’ claimed British Short Animation.
Industry recognition awards included the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema for Clare Binns, Creative Director of PictureHouse Cinemas, and the BAFTA Fellowship for NBCUniversal Entertainment chairperson Donna Langley.
The Outstanding British Debut award recognized Akinola Davies Jr. and Wale Davies for their writing and directing work on ‘My Father’s Shadow.’
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