One Battle After Another, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was the big winner at the 2026 Bafta Film and Television Awards in London, where British films Hamnet and I Swear also received plaudits.
Paul Thomas Anderson's film about a washed-up revolutionary searching for his missing teenage daughter won six categories from 14 nominations, including best film, best director, best adapted screenplay and best supporting actor for Sean Penn.
Collecting the biggest award of the night, Anderson said it was a "tremendous honour". He added: "We have a line from Nina Simone that we used in our film, 'I know what freedom is, it's no fear'."
Anderson paid tribute to the late producer, assistant director and Brit Adam Somner. “You may think that your greatest export is Alfred Hitchcock or Charlie Chaplin, but it wasn’t ... To me, it was Adam Somner, who was my assistant director and producer for about 20 years. He came over to America and the line was out the door of people who wanted to work with him because he made us all better."
Irish actress Jessie Buckley continued her domination of awards season as she was named best actress for Hamnet.
She has proved unbeatable for her performance as Shakespeare's wife Agnes Hathaway – historically known as Anne – in the big-screen adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's award-winning novel about the family life of William Shakespeare and the death of their young son. The film, directed by Chloe Zhao, was also named outstanding British film.
Accepting the award, Buckley said: "As a little girl, I never in a million years thought I would get to make a film."
I Swear, the real story of a man with Tourette syndrome growing up in 1980s Scotland, won two awards including a surprise victory for British star Robert Aramayo, who was named best actor and the EE Rising Star at the ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall.
Sinners, which has 16 Oscar nominations, won best original screenplay for writer and director Ryan Coogler, best supporting actress for Wunmi Mosaku, and best original score.
Frankenstein also took home three big wins.
2026 Bafta Awards winners
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
- Timothee 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 Skarsgard - Sentimental Value
Director
- Winner: One Battle After Another - Paul Thomas Anderson
- Bugonia - Yorgos Lanthimos
- Hamnet - Chloe 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
- Sirat
- 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 Amelie
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
(The Rising Star Award is distinct from the other golden Bafta trophies)
- Winner: Robert Aramayo
- Miles Caton
- Chase Infiniti
- Archie Madekwe
- Posy Sterling
Original score
- Winner: Sinners - Ludwig Goransson
- 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
