The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) returned to London with its annual celebration of screen artistry on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. It was an evening where prestige met plot twists and victory speeches shared space with shock snubs. The highest honors in British film unfolded under familiar chandeliers, but the story of this year’s Bafta Film Awards felt anything but predictable.
It was a night that crowned a sweeping epic, sidelined a heavily tipped contender and welcomed royalty back to the red carpet — most notably Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales. The appearance marked the first time the Prince and Princess of Wales had attended the awards together in three years, following the arrest of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, over allegations of sharing confidential material with the late convicted Jeffrey Epstein.
Here’s how the drama played out when cinema’s finest gathered in London.
Bafta 2026: List of Winners
Best Film — One Battle After Another
Outstanding British Film — Hamnet
Leading Actress — Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)
Leading Actor — Robert Aramayo (I Swear)
Supporting Actress — Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners)
Supporting Actor — Sean Penn (One Battle After Another)
Director — Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer — My Father’s Shadow
Film Not in the English Language — Sentimental Value
Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema — Claire Binns
Documentary — Mr Nobody Against Putin
Animated Film — Zootropolis 2
Children’s & Family Film — Boong
Original Screenplay — Sinners
Adapted Screenplay — One Battle After Another
EE Rising Star Award (Public Vote) — Robert Aramayo
Original Score — Sinners (Ludwig Göransson)
Casting — I Swear
Cinematography — One Battle After Another
Costume Design — Frankenstein
Editing — One Battle After Another
Production Design — Frankenstein
Make-up & Hair — Frankenstein
Sound — F1
Special Visual Effects — Avatar: Fire and Ash
British Short Film — This Is Endometriosis
British Short Animation — Two Black Boys in Paradise