A night of surprises at the 79th British Academy Film Awards

Confirmation of favourites, unexpected victories and a bear presenter marked a memorable night for cinema in the British capital

Robert Aramayo celebrates his two wins at the BAFTAs

Awards season rolls on — and last Sunday (22) it was time for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to hand out its famous statuettes. The ceremony took place at Royal Festival Hall in London, gathering many of today’s biggest stars, as well as Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton. Alongside memorable performances and a moving In Memoriam segment, the evening was marked by several surprises.

The biggest winner of the night was One Battle After Another, which claimed six of the fourteen awards for which it had been nominated. Sinners was not far behind, taking home three trophies and further cementing its dominance this season. Meanwhile, Jessie Buckley once again heard her name called, stepping on stage to accept Best Actress for Hamnet.

I know, I know… so far, no surprises. Don’t worry, they start now.

For several years now, the British Academy has been undergoing a process of reinvention aimed not only at giving greater visibility to British cinema, but also at building a distinct identity of its own, gradually distancing itself from the perception of being merely a “European preview of the Oscars”. That shift helps explain many of the night’s surprises.

The Best Actor race had been particularly tight, alternating between Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme and Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent. However, it was Robert Aramayo who emerged victorious for I Swear — notably his only nomination of the season and his first BAFTA nod. Visibly emotional, the 33-year-old Brit fought back tears during his speech, thanking his family and cast while speaking about how much the film means to him.

In the supporting acting categories, there were even more unexpected wins. Up until now, the frontrunners had been Stellan Skarsgård for Sentimental Value and Teyana Taylor for One Battle After Another. This time, the trophies went instead to Sean Penn for One Battle After Another and Wunmi Mosaku for Sinners.

Meanwhile, one of the night’s biggest losers could be said to be Marty Supreme. Despite earning eleven nominations, it walked away empty-handed — a particularly surprising outcome after a strong run that had seen it collect at least one award at major ceremonies such as the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice Awards and the American Film Institute honours.

Another highlight of the evening was the debut of the Children’s & Family Film category, awarded to directors Lakshmipriya Devi and Ritesh Sidhwani for the Indian film Boong — presented by none other than the charming (and very cuddly) Paddington. It was also the first time in BAFTA history that an award was presented by… a bear.

Jokes aside, The Secret Agent did not win Film Not in the English Language, which went to Sentimental Value, making it the first Norwegian title ever to take home a BAFTA. Directed by Joachim Trier, the film has been gaining momentum in recent weeks and is now considered the Brazilian contender’s strongest rival this season, after the latter had won the category at every previous ceremony. Also nominated for Original Screenplay, the award ultimately went to Ryan Coogler for Sinners.

Brazil also had hopes in two other categories: Cinematography for Train Dreams, shot by Adolpho Veloso, and Documentary for Apocalypse in the Tropics by Petra Costa. The winners were One Battle After Another and Mr. Nobody Against Putin, respectively.

Last year, Brazil left the BAFTAs with no awards as well. *I’m Still Here, directed by Walter Salles and starring Fernanda Torres, had been nominated in only one category but lost Best Film Not in the English Language to the Spanish Emilia Perez*.

Perhaps that statistic will help calm our hearts as we look ahead to the Oscars on 15 March.

Emilie Lesclaux, Kleber Mendonça Filho and Wagner Moura at the BAFTA red carpet

Here are the winners at the 2026 British Academy Film Awards:

Best Film: One Battle After Another Outstanding British Film: Hamnet British Short Film: This Is Endometriosis Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer: Akinola Davies Jr. (My Father’s Shadow) Film Not In The English Language: Sentimental Value Documentary: Mr. Nobody Against Putin Animated Film: Zootropolis 2 British Animation: Two Black Boys in Paradise Children’s & Family Film: Boong Director: Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another) Original Screenplay: Ryan Coogler (Sinners) Adapted Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another) Leading Actress: Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) Leading Actor: Robert Aramayo (I Swear) Supporting Actress: Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners) Supporting Actor: Sean Penn (One Battle After Another) Casting: Lauren Evans (I Swear) Cinematography: Michael Bauman (One Battle After Another) Editing: Andy Jurgensen (One Battle After Another) Costume Design: Kate Hawley (Frankenstein) Make Up & Hair: Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey, Mike Hill, Megan Many (Frankenstein) Original Score: Ludwig Göransson (Sinners) Production Design: Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau (Frankenstein) Sound: Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta (F1) Special Visual Effects: Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Daniel Barrett, Eric Saindon (Avatar: Fire and Ash) EE Rising Star Award (voted for by the public): Robert Aramayo (I Swear)