BAFTA Awards 2026: Six Statues for 'One Battle After Another' and Historic Successes for Creators

This year's seventy-ninth British Academy Film Awards ceremony took place on Sunday evening at London's Royal Festival Hall. The event was unequivocally dominated by the ambitious comedy and action spectacle 'One Battle After Another'. The production directed by Paul Thomas Anderson received as many as six gold masks, triumphing in the most important categories: Best Film, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, and Editing. Additionally, the statue for Best Supporting Actor was received by Sean Penn for his bravura performance. This triumph solidified the film's position as the absolute frontrunner in the upcoming race for the highest honors from the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 6 — statues for One Battle After Another The BAFTA Awards are presented annually in the United Kingdom since 1948. Due to being scheduled shortly before the Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles, they are traditionally considered the most important European industry barometer, allowing for relatively accurate predictions of the final outcomes before Hollywood's biggest season finale. A huge surprise came at the end of the ceremony with the final verdict in the main male category. Versatile Briton Robert Aramayo unexpectedly won the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his poignant portrayal of a Tourette's syndrome-afflicted activist in the independent production 'I Swear'. The young artist defeated such decorated stars as Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothée Chalamet in the final stretch, also picking up the prestigious Rising Star Award. Furthermore, the triumph of the British film 'Hamnet' had a historic dimension. The acclaimed work directed by Chloe Zhao won two statues, and its lead actress, Jessie Buckley, formally entered history as the first Irish woman ever to win the Best Actress title at the BAFTA Awards. Most Awarded Films at the BAFTA Awards 2026: 1. One Battle After Another — 6 awards; 2. Sinners — 3 awards; 3. Hamnet — 2 awards Equally permanently etched into the history of European and world cinema is Ryan Coogler. His innovative vampire thriller 'Sinners' ultimately won three distinctions (including for Ludwig Göransson's brilliant music), decisively beating the previous record of the acclaimed masterpiece '12 Years a Slave' and proudly becoming the most decorated film ever made by a Black lead creator. During Sunday's ceremony, the outstanding Donna Langley was also beautifully honored. The head of the major decision-making empire NBCUniversal received the highest honorary fellowship directly from Prince William, who was accompanied on the anniversary red carpet, after a long, forced break, by a radiant Princess Catherine in an outfit made from fashionable recycled materials. „I absolutely can't believe it, I can't believe that I'm looking at people like you, in the same category as you, never mind that I'm stood here.” — Robert Aramayo The musical culmination of this exceptionally successful Sunday celebration of European and world cinema was an incredibly energetic guest performance by vocalists from the cast of the enthusiastically received, musical spectacle 'KPop Demon Hunters', who swiftly got the usually quite serious academy to join in choral and unrestrained grand singing.

Perspektywy mediów: Media with a clearly liberal profile strongly emphasize the noted historic triumphs of directors from racial minorities and the record-breaking, epoch-making distinctions for exceptionally talented women. Conservative press titles naturally focus more strongly on the official representation of the distinguished British royal family and typically warmly appreciate the mature craft of creators who have been widely recognized for years.