The 79th BAFTA (British Academy Film Awards) was held on 22 February 2026, at London’s Royal Festival Hall. It celebrated the finest contributions to cinema from 2025 and brought together filmmakers, actors, and industry figures from all around the world. The event was hosted by Alan Cumming and broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer. This year’s awards underscored themes of innovation, inclusivity, and narrative boldness, positioning the ceremony as a benchmark for the forthcoming Academy Awards.
The movie “One Battle After Another” featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Chase Infiniti and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, secured the awards for Best Film and Best Director, marking Anderson’s first BAFTA win in the directing category. It also claimed Best Adapted Screenplay. In the performance categories, Sean Penn won Best Supporting Actor, while the film’s technical excellence was recognised with awards for Cinematography (Michael Bauman) and Editing (Andy Jurgensen).
“Sinners”, directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan, also performed well, winning three awards, including Best Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler, Best Supporting Actress for Wunmi Mosaku, and the Best Original Score for Ludwig Göransson. This made Sinners the most awarded film by a Black director in BAFTA history, representing a significant milestone for diversity and inclusion.
Robert Aramayo earned the Leading Actor award for I Swear, as well as the EE Rising Star Award (a popular poll). Jessie Buckley received the Leading Actress award for Hamnet, directed by Chloé Zhao. Hamnet won the Outstanding British Film award, bringing its total to two awards.
Technical categories recognised exceptional craftsmanship. Frankenstein won three awards: Costume Design, Make-up and Hair, and Production Design. Avatar: Fire and Ash won Best Special Visual Effects. Sentimental Value became the first Norwegian film to win the Film Not in the English Language category. Mr Nobody Against Putin won Best Documentary, while Zootopia 2 took the award for Best Animated Film.
Dame Donna Langley earned the BAFTA Fellowship for her efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in film. Clare Binns received the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award for her efforts to promote diverse voices in British filmmaking.
A poignant highlight of the evening was the In Memoriam segment, which paid tribute to prominent figures from the film industry who passed away in the previous year. Among them was legendary Indian actor Dharmendra. He was remembered for his remarkable six-decade-long career in Hindi cinema, renowned for his iconic roles and lasting influence. Dharmendra was featured in this year’s In Memoriam, alongside global icons such as Diane Keaton, Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Catherine O’Hara, Val Kilmer, Gene Hackman, and others. The segment, accompanied by Jessie Ware’s moving performance of “The Way We Were,” created one of the ceremony’s most emotional moments and highlighted the international reach of cinematic legacies.
The 2026 BAFTAs celebrated artistic excellence, innovative storytelling, and greater diversity across global cinema.
