VIDEO BAFTA Awards 2026: Huge surprise for Best Film and another major category. Sean Penn took home his first major prize after a 17-year drought. The big winner of the night, just like at the Golden Globes

The 79th edition of the BAFTA Awards, awarded by the British television industry, announced its winners on Sunday evening and reserved several surprises that defied the expectations of analysts. The biggest of them was that “Hamnet,” the feature film about William Shakespeare and his wife trying to overcome a tragedy that marked their lives, did not take home the award for best picture.

The 2026 BAFTA award for best film instead went to “One Battle After Another,” director Paul Thomas Anderson's feature Leonardo DiCaprio as a fugitive rebel, which was the big winner at this year's Golden Globes.

“One Battle After Another” also triumphed in several categories in which “Hamnet”, a British film, was seen as the favorite, including the award for the best director, and was again the most awarded feature film – with 6 awards.

Sean Penn, awarded at the 2026 BAFTA Gala

Another category that “One Battle After Another” won was for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, which went to Sean Penn. For the double Oscar-winning actor, the award at the 2026 BAFTA gala is the first major recognition from the film industry since 2009, when he won both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his film “Milk”, about the life of American activist and politician Harvey Milk.

However, Penn was not in London with the “One Battle After Another” film crew to receive his award in person.

Another major surprise was in the best actor category, where neither Timothee Chalamet nor Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke or Michael B. Jordan won, but British actor Robert Aramayo, for his performance in “I Swear,” about an activist for people with Tourette's Syndrome.

“Hamnet,” on the other hand, won best British film and best actress in a leading role.

Sinners, the horror film directed by Ryan Coogler, made BAFTA history with three trophies – becoming the most awarded feature by a black director – for original screenplay, supporting actress (Wunmi Mosaku) and original soundtrack (Ludwig Göransson). Coogler also became the first black winner in the original screenplay category.

In another section of the gala, “Sentimental Value” became the first Norwegian film to win a BAFTA award, winning in the film category in a foreign language (other than English), while British production with international participation “My Father's Shadow”, the UK's Oscar submission, won the award for best British debut.

The main awards given at the 2026 BAFTA gala:

The best movie

• “Hamnet” – Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Steven Spielberg, Sam Mendes
• “Marty Supreme” – Timothée Chalamet, Anthony Katagas, Eli Bush, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie
• “One Battle After Another” – Adam Somner, Sara Murphy, Paul Thomas Anderson (WINNER)
• “Sentimental Value” – Maria Ekerhovd, Andrea Berentsen Ottmar
• “Sinners” – Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler

Best British Film

• “28 Years Later” – Danny Boyle, Andrew Macdonald, Peter Rice, Bernard Bellew, Alex Garland
• “The Ballad of Wallis Island” – James Griffiths, Rupert Majendie, Tom Basden, Tim Key
• Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy – Michael Morris, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jo Wallett, Helen Fielding, Dan Mazer, Abi Morgan
• “Die My Love” – ​​Lynne Ramsay, Martin Scorsese, Jennifer Lawrence, Justine Ciarrocchi, Andrea Calderwood, Enda Walsh, Alice Birch
• “H Is for Hawk” – Philippa Lowthorpe, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Emma Donoghue
• “Hamnet” – Chloé Zhao, Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Steven Speilberg, Sam Mendes, Maggie O'Farrell (WINNER)
• “I Swear” – Kirk Jones, Georgia Bayliff, Piers Tempest
• “Mr. Burton” – Marc Evans, Ed Talfan, Josh Hyams, Hannah Thomas, Trevor Matthews, Tom Bullough
• “Pillion” – Harry Lighton, Emma Norton, Lee Groombridge, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe
• “Steve” – ​​Tim Mielants, Alan Moloney, Cillian Murphy, Max Porter

Best director

• Yorgos Lanthimos, “Bugonia”
• Chloé Zhao, “Hamnet”
• Josh Safdie, “Marty Supreme”
• Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another” (WINNER)
• Joachim Trier, “Sentimental Value”
• Ryan Coogler, “Sinners”

Best Actor in a Leading Role

• Robert Aramayo, “I Swear” (WINNER)
• Timothée Chalamet, “Marty Supreme”
• Leonardo DiCaprio, “One Battle After Another”
• Ethan Hawke, “Blue Moon”
• Michael B. Jordan, “Sinners”
• Jesse Plemons, “Bugonia”

Best Actress in a Leading Role

• Jessie Buckley, “Hamnet” (WINNER)
• 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”

Best Supporting Actor

• Benicio del Toro, “One Battle After Another”
• Jacob Elordi, “Frankenstein”
• Paul Mescal, “Hamnet”
• Peter Mullan, “I Swear”
• Sean Penn, “One Battle After Another” (WINNER)
• Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value”

Best Supporting Actress

• Odessa A'zion, “Marty Supreme”
• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, “Sentimental Value”
• Wunmi Mosaku, “Sinners” (WINNER)
• Carey Mulligan, “The Ballad of Wallis Island”
• Teyana Taylor, “One Battle After Another”
• Emily Watson, “Hamnet”

Best Foreign Language Film

• “It Was Just an Accident” – Jafar Panahi, Philippe Martin
• “The Secret Agent” – Kleber Mendonça Filho, Emilie Lesclaux
• “Sentimental Value” – Joachim Trier, Maria Ekerhovd, Andrea Berentsen Ottmar (WINNER)
• “Sirât” – Oliver Laxe, Domingo Corral
• “The Voice of Hind Rajab” – Kaouther Ben Hania, Nadim Cheikhrouha

Best Documentary

• “2,000 Meters to Andriivka” – Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath
• “Apocalypse in the Tropics” – Petra Costa, Alessandra Orofino
• “Cover-Up” – Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus, Olivia Streisand, Yoni Golijev
• “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” – David Borenstein, Helle Faber, Radovan Síbrt, Alžběta Karásková (WINNER)
• “The Perfect Neighbor” – Geeta Gandbhir, Alisa Payne, Nikon Kwantu, Sam Bisbee

All awards presented at the 2026 BAFTA Gala:

• EE Rising Star Award (voted by the public): Robert Aramayo
• Best adapted scenario: “One Battle After Another”, Paul Thomas Anderson
• Best Original Screenplay: Sinners, Ryan Coogler
• Best British Short Film: This Is Endometriosis, Georgie Wileman, Matt Houghton, Harriette Wright
• Best Animated Feature: “Zootropolis 2”, Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Yvette Merino
• Best Children's and Family Film: “Boong”, Lakshmipriya Devi, Ritesh Sidhwani
• Best British Animated Short Film: “Two Black Boys in Paradise”, Baz Sells, Dean Atta, Ben Jackson
• Best picture: “One Battle After Another”, Michael Bauman
• The best montage: “One Battle After Another,” Andy Jurgensen
• The best makeup and hairstyle: “Frankenstein,” Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey, Mike Hill, Megan Many
• Best Original Soundtrack: “Sinners”, Ludwig Göransson
• The best scenography: “Frankenstein,” Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau
• Best Sound: “F1”, Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta
• Best debut contribution by a British writer, director or producer: “My Father's Shadow”, Akinola Davies Jr., Wale Davies
• The best suits: “Frankenstein,” Kate Hawley
• The best visual effects: “Avatar: Fire and Ash”, Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Daniel Barrett, Eric Saindon
• The best casting: “I Swear,” Lauren Evans