One Battle After Another wins big at Britain’s BAFTA film awards
LONDON — Dark comedy One Battle After Another was the big winner at Britain’s top movie awards on Sunday, picking up six BAFTAs including best film and best director for Paul Thomas Anderson.
It beat home favorite, the tearjerker Hamnet, and vampire thriller Sinners, which has a record number of Oscar nominations, in the big two categories in the ceremony, where Prince William and Princess Kate were guests of honor.
“We have a line from Nina Simone that we stole in our film. She says ‘I know what freedom is, it’s no fear,’” Mr. Anderson said.
“So let’s keep making things without fear, it’s a good idea.”
Mr. Anderson also picked up the award for best adapted screenplay, while Sean Penn beat his co-star Benicio del Toro among others for best supporting actor.
The critical hit also won best cinematography and best editing to total six prizes.
Sinners, which has 16 Oscar nods, won best original screenplay for writer and director Ryan Coogler, best supporting actress for Wunmi Mosaku, and best original score.
SURPRISE IN BEST ACTOR CATEGORY
The biggest surprise was Robert Aramayo beating Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael B. Jordan, Ethan Hawke, and Jesse Plemons to win best actor for his acclaimed performance as Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson in I Swear.
He accepted the award — his second of the evening after picking up the rising star prize — in tears, saying “I absolutely can’t believe it.”
Asked before the ceremony what it would mean to him to win, Mr. Aramayo told Reuters: “I haven’t even engaged with that thought to be honest with you, I just feel really, really lucky to be on that list of names.”
Favorite Jessie Buckley won best actress for playing Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare, in Hamnet, based on the novel by Maggie O’Farrell and directed by previous Oscar winner Chloé Zhao.
The film also won outstanding British film, but it lost out on the two major awards, including best film, where its home advantage had made it a favorite.
The awards, hosted by Alan Cumming, were the first joint engagement for William and Kate since William’s uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Thursday.
William, president of the film academy, presented the BAFTA Fellowship to Donna Langley, studio head at NBCUniversal. — Reuters
And the 2026 BAFTA winners are…
LONDON — The 2026 BAFTA Film Awards, Britain’s top movie honors, were handed out at a ceremony in London on Sunday, with One Battle After Another winning the top prize of the night, best film.
Below is a list of winners in the key categories.
Best Film – One Battle After Another
Outstanding British Film – Hamnet
Director – Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Leading Actor – Robert Aramayo, I Swear
Leading Actress – Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Supporting Actor – Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Supporting Actress – Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners
Original Screenplay – Sinners
Adapted Screenplay – One Battle After Another
Film Not in English Language – Sentimental Value
Animated Film – Zootropolis 2 (titled Zootopia 2 in the US and some other countries)
Documentary – Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Original Score – Sinners
EE Rising Star – Robert Aramayo
