The 2026 BAFTA Film Awards nominations have officially landed, and the race for British cinema’s most prestigious honours has never looked more thrilling. Announced in London on Tuesday, the nominations set the stage for what promises to be an unforgettable awards season showdown: with Paul Thomas Anderson’s political thriller One Battle After Another securing a commanding 14 nominations, just edging out Ryan Coogler’s vampire epic Sinners with 13.
A Two-Horse Race at the Top
The battle lines have been drawn, and the 2026 BAFTA nominations paint a fascinating picture of where British Academy voters’ heads are at this awards season.
One Battle After Another storms into the ceremony as the film to beat. Anderson’s taut, gripping political thriller has captured the imagination of voters with its sprawling ensemble and sharp commentary on American power structures. The film boasts a staggering five acting nominations alone, showcasing the depth of talent Anderson assembled for this ambitious project. Leonardo DiCaprio anchors the piece in the Leading Actor category, while Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro both earned Supporting Actor recognition for their scene-stealing work.
Hot on its heels, Sinners proves that genre filmmaking absolutely belongs in the awards conversation. Ryan Coogler’s audacious vampire tale: a bold departure that blends Southern Gothic atmosphere with genuine horror thrills: has resonated deeply with BAFTA voters. The film arrives at the British Academy fresh from setting a new record at the Oscars earlier in the season, where it scooped an impressive 16 nominations.
Best Film: A Five-Way Showdown
The Best Film category reads like a who’s who of 2026’s most acclaimed cinema. Competing for the top prize are Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sentimental Value, and Sinners.
Each contender brings something distinctly different to the table. Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet: earning 11 nominations overall: delivers a devastating, intimate portrait of grief through a Shakespearean lens. Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, also with 11 nominations, offers audiences a wildly entertaining ping-pong caper that showcases Timothée Chalamet at his most charismatic.
Meanwhile, Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value rounds out the field with eight nominations, bringing European arthouse sensibilities to a deeply personal family drama.
Director Category: Fresh Blood and Familiar Faces
The Best Director race features an intriguing mix of first-time BAFTA nominees and established auteurs. Ryan Coogler (Sinners) and Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme) both earn their inaugural BAFTA directing nominations: a testament to how the British Academy continues embracing bold, distinctive voices.
They’ll compete against some heavyweight competition: Yorgos Lanthimos for his pitch-black comedy Bugonia, Chloé Zhao for Hamnet, Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another, and Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value.
Anderson enters this category as a frontrunner, riding momentum from a successful awards season that’s seen voters finally ready to fully embrace his singular vision. The filmmaker’s meticulous craftsmanship and ability to extract career-best performances from his ensemble has positioned him as the director to beat.
Leading Performances: Star Power Meets Breakthrough Talent
The Leading Actress category showcases precisely why 2026 has been such an exceptional year for female performances. Jessie Buckley’s turn in Hamnet stands out as the emotional centrepiece of this race. Playing Anne Hathaway: Shakespeare’s wife navigating unimaginable loss: Buckley delivers work that’s simultaneously devastating and deeply human. The raw vulnerability she brings to Zhao’s literary adaptation has positioned her as the actress to beat.
She faces stiff competition from Emma Stone (Bugonia), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value), Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), and Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another). Both Byrne and Infiniti earn their first-ever BAFTA nominations, marking breakthrough moments in already impressive careers.
The Leading Actor field features Timothée Chalamet bringing effortless charm to Marty Supreme, playing a ping-pong hustler with the kind of magnetic screen presence that’s become his trademark. His nomination alongside Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Michael B. Jordan (Sinners), Robert Aramayo (I Swear), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), and Jesse Plemons (Bugonia) creates one of the most competitive categories in recent memory.
Jordan’s nomination marks a particularly significant moment: the actor’s first BAFTA recognition, earned through his commanding work in Coogler’s genre-defying vampire film. Their continued collaboration proves one of modern cinema’s most fruitful creative partnerships.
Supporting Categories: Scene-Stealers Get Their Due
The Supporting Actress race celebrates both established talent and exciting newcomers. Teyana Taylor’s electrifying work in One Battle After Another has generated serious buzz, with her Globe win earlier this season establishing her as the frontrunner. First-time nominees Odessa A’zion (Marty Supreme) and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value) join the race alongside Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners), Carey Mulligan (The Ballad of Wallis Island), and Emily Watson (Hamnet).
Supporting Actor features a fascinating showdown between veteran performers and rising stars. Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value) arrives as a first-time BAFTA nominee: a remarkable fact given his decades of acclaimed work. He’ll compete against Benicio Del Toro (One Battle After Another), Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein), Paul Mescal (Hamnet), Peter Mullan (I Swear), and Sean Penn (One Battle After Another).
Mescal’s nomination proves particularly noteworthy. Having been overlooked by other major awards this season, the British Academy’s recognition of his subtle, heartbreaking work in Hamnet demonstrates BAFTA voters’ willingness to champion performances that might otherwise go unrecognised.
British Film Excellence on Display
The Outstanding British Film category celebrates homegrown talent across a diverse range of projects. 28 Years Later, Danny Boyle’s highly anticipated return to the franchise that helped define his career, competes alongside intimate dramas like Pillion and crowd-pleasers like Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.
Jennifer Lawrence’s Die My Love, directed by Lynne Ramsay with Martin Scorsese producing, represents the kind of boundary-pushing filmmaking that BAFTA loves to champion. The film’s inclusion: despite being passed over elsewhere: signals British voters’ appetite for challenging, uncompromising cinema.
Technical Categories and Notable Mentions
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein emerges as a force in the technical categories, securing eight nominations overall. The gothic epic seems primed to dominate Production Design, Score, and Visual Effects: categories where del Toro’s maximalist vision traditionally excels.
Interestingly, Wicked: For Good earns recognition in Costume Design and Make Up & Hair despite being overlooked in acting categories: a contrast to some other awards ceremonies this season.
F1, Joseph Kosinski’s racing drama, secured three technical nominations for Editing, Sound, and Special Visual Effects, proving that spectacle-driven filmmaking continues finding appreciation among craft voters.
The Road to February 22nd
The 79th BAFTA Film Awards ceremony takes place Sunday, February 22nd, at London’s Royal Festival Hall. Scottish actor and Traitors US host Alan Cumming takes over hosting duties from David Tennant, who helmed the ceremony for the previous two years.
With nominations now set, the campaign season enters its crucial final phase. The race between One Battle After Another and Sinners promises to dominate conversation heading into February, while individual category battles: particularly the tight Leading Actress race: could produce genuine surprises.
For more awards season coverage and film reviews, check out the latest features and the 2026 Oscars predictions.
