The black comedy film "Battle after Battle" won six awards at the BAFTA ceremony, including best film and best director for Paul Thomas Anderson, ahead of "Hamnet" and "Sinners." The evening witnessed a surprise win with Robert Aramayo winning the Best Actor award, and Jessie Buckley being crowned Best Actress, with the film “Sinners” emerging in the screenplay and music categories, and a remarkable appearance by Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Published on: 02/23/2026 - 03:54 Last updated: 02/23/2026 - 08:11
The black comedy film "One Battle After Another" won the lion's share at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) ceremony, after winning six awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for American director Paul Thomas Anderson. It outperformed the British film (Hamanet) and the thriller film (Sinners) in the most prominent categories of the ceremony, which was attended by Prince William and his wife Kate as guests of honor.
Anderson explained in his speech that he quoted in his film a phrase by singer Nina Simone that says, “I know what freedom is, it is the absence of fear,” calling on filmmakers to “continue making things without fear, it is a wonderful idea.” He also won the award for best adapted screenplay, while Sean Penn won the award for best supporting actor, beating his colleague in the film, Benicio del Toro and others. The film also won the Best Cinematography and Best Editing awards, bringing its tally to six awards.
On the other hand, the film (Sinners), nominated for 16 Oscars, won three BAFTA awards: Best Original Screenplay by writer and director Ryan Coogler, Best Supporting Actress by Briton Wunmi Mosaku, in addition to the Best Original Score Award.
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The most notable surprise was in the Best Actor category, as Robert Aramayo won the award for his portrayal of John Davidson, an activist for awareness of Tourette Syndrome, in the film (I Swear) “I Swear,” ahead of prominent stars such as Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael B. Jordan, Ethan Hawke, and Jesse Plemons. When he received his second award at the ceremony after the Best New Actor award, he seemed moved and said while crying, “I can’t believe it at all.”
On the other hand, Jessie Buckley won the Best Actress award for her role in the movie (Hamnet), adapted from Maggie O'Farrell's novel, and directed by former Oscar-winner Chloe Zhao. The work also won the Best British Film award, but lost the race for the two main awards, including the Best Film award, in which he believed that British citizenship would support his chances.
This year's ceremony, presented by actor Alan Cumming, marked the first official joint appearance of Prince William and Kate Middleton since the arrest of William's uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, last Thursday.
France 24/Reuters
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