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BAFTA 2026 nominations announced — a strong year for bold cinema
The nominees for the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards have been revealed, and Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another leads the pack with an impressive 14 nominations. The announcement confirms a diverse and competitive field: the visceral vampire thriller Sinners follows closely with 13 nods, while Hamnet, a lyrical domestic portrait linked to William Shakespeare's family, and the sports drama Marty Supreme each earned 11 nominations. This year’s list blends prestige arthouse, genre fare, and crowd-pleasers, reflecting a wider awards season trend that embraces risk-taking films alongside more traditional Oscar contenders.
Standout films and categories
One Battle After Another is up for Best Film and sits atop most craft categories, from cinematography and editing to original score by Jonny Greenwood. Its dominance recalls PTA’s previous awards seasons, when films like There Will Be Blood and Phantom Thread became critical darlings with broad Academy attention.
Sinners is notable for bringing horror and vampire mythology into the BAFTA conversation, a sign that juries are increasingly rewarding genre films that combine thematic depth with technical bravura. The film also competes in major categories, including Best Film and Original Screenplay.
Hamnet, directed by Chloe Zhao, continues the recent revival of literary adaptations that favor intimate storytelling over spectacle. Its nominations include acting, directing, and production design, and Max Richter’s haunting score received a nod for Best Original Music.
Marty Supreme, directed by Josh Safdie and anchored by Timothy Chalamet, balances sports drama tropes with a character-driven approach, earning nominations across acting, directing, and editing.
Key acting and directing contenders
On the acting side, standout nominees include Jesse Buckley for Best Leading Actress in Hamnet and Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Leading Actor in One Battle After Another. The supporting categories feature heavyweights such as Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn, demonstrating how mainstream stars and elevated ensemble casts both find recognition at BAFTA.
Directing nominees span established auteurs and new voices: Yorgos Lanthimos for Bugonia, Chloe Zhao for Hamnet, Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme, Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another, Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value, and Ryan Coogler for Sinners. This mix suggests voters are honoring both formal innovation and emotionally resonant storytelling.
Trends, context, and what it means for awards season
Two trends stand out. First, genre films are no longer relegated to technical categories alone; Sinners’ broad recognition signals growing institutional respect for horror that interrogates social themes. Second, auteur-driven projects with distinctive sonic and visual signatures—think Greenwood's score or Alexandre Desplat's work on Frankenstein—continue to shape voters’ preferences.
There is also a distinctly British flavor in categories such as Best British Film and EE Rising Star, with titles like 28Years Later and The Ballad of Wallis Island in the running, alongside homegrown talent up for public-vote recognition.
Cinema historian Marko Jensen offers a quick take: 'This BAFTA list rewards both craftsmanship and adventurous storytelling. It’s encouraging to see genre and intimate dramas sharing the spotlight.'
Other notable nominations
Frankenstein and Sentimental Value each picked up eight nominations, and technical categories highlight strengths in production design, makeup, sound, and visual effects across a wide slate that includes Avatar: Fire and Ash and How to Train Your Dragon. Animated films such as Zootropolis 2 and family titles like Lilo & Stitch also gained recognition, underscoring BAFTA’s broad scope.
The EE Rising Star shortlist mixes emerging actors with breakout performances, while the documentary and international categories point to an increasingly globalized awards perspective.
The BAFTA Film Awards ceremony will take place on 22 February 2026 at the Royal Festival Hall in London, where critics, industry figures, and audiences will watch how these nominations translate into wins. Expect a night that honors both cinematic ambition and the crafts that bring those visions to life.
Whether One Battle After Another converts nominations into trophies or the field upends predictions, this year's BAFTAs promise lively debates, memorable speeches, and a snapshot of where contemporary cinema is heading.
Comments
bioNix
Are BAFTAs finally taking horror seriously or is this just awards season window dressing? feels cool, but will Sinners actually win big? if that's real then...
atomwave
wow, PTA cleaning up again, One Battle After Another with 14 noms feels deserved but kinda predictable. Sinners getting love? finally. bit surprised Leo over others tho
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