Life & Style

‘One Battle After Another’ wins big at Britain’s BAFTA film awards

Published 23 Feb, 2026 08:57am

Reuters

Published 23 Feb, 2026 08:57am

Reuters

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Director Paul Thomas Anderson, editor Andy Jurgensen, producer Sara Murphy, Cassandra Kulukundis, cinematographer Michael Bauman and cast members Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio Del Toro, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti pose with the awards for Best Film Award, Director Award, Adapted Screenplay Award and Cinematography Award for ‘One Battle After Another’ at the 2026 British Academy of Film and Television Awards at the Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre, London. – Reuters

Director Paul Thomas Anderson accepts the Best Picture Award for “One Battle After Another” next to Benicio del Toro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Cassandra Kulukundis, Chase Infiniti, at the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California. – Reuters

Joe Alwyn, Maggie O’Farrell, Liza Marshall, Dame Pippa Harris, Chloe Zhao, Jacobi Jupe, Jessie Buckley, Olivia Lynes, Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Emily Watson and Nicolas Gonda pose with the Outstanding British Film Award for ‘Hamnet’ at the 2026 British Academy of Film and Television Awards at the Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre, London. – Reuters

Jessie Buckley, director Chloe Zhao and Dame Pippa Harris pose with the Best Leading Actress Award and Outstanding British Film Award for “Hamnet”, at the 2026 British Academy of Film and Television Awards at the Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre, London. – Reuters

Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas pose with the Animated Film Award for ‘Zootopia 2 (Zootropolis 2)’ at the 2026 British Academy of Film and Television Awards at the Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre, London, Britain. – Reuters

Yvett Merino and Jared Bush, CCO, Walt Disney Animation Studios, pose with the Animated Film Award for ‘Zootopia 2 (Zootropolis 2)’ at the 2026 British Academy of Film and Television Awards at the Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre, London, Britain. – Reuters

Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Juan Peralta and Gareth John, pose with Sound Award for ‘F1’ at the 2026 British Academy of Film and Television Awards at the Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre, London, Britain. – Reuters

Robert Aramayo poses with the Leading Actor Award and the Bafta Rising Star Award for ‘I Swear’ at the 2026 British Academy of Film and Television Awards at the Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre, London. – Reuters

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 favourite, 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 honour.

“We have a line from Nina Simone that we stole in our film. She says ‘I know what freedom is, it’s no fear’,” Anderson said.

“So let’s keep making things without fear, it’s a good idea.”

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 of 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 Timothee 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, 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.”

Favourite 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 Chloe 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 favourite.

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.

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