BAFTAs 2026 full winners list: One Battle After Another triumphs, Robert Aramayo upsets heavy hitters

One Battle After Another cemented its status as the Oscar frontrunner after picking up six gongs, including best film at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards.

But it was the exciting upset in the best lead actor category that electrified the room.

British actor Robert Aramayo beat out heavy hitters including Timothee Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio and Ethan Hawke in claiming the win for his performance in I Swear, a Scottish biopic about a man with severe Tourette’s syndrome. The film will be released in Australia in late March.

Aramayo, probably best known to audiences outside the UK for playing the young version of Ned Stark in Game of Thrones and elf Elrond in The Rings of Power, was more shocked than anyone else.

Grasping for breath as he started his speech, Aramayo said, “I absolutely can’t believe this, I can’t believe I’m looking at people like (DiCaprio) and I’m in the same category and never mind that I’m stood here”.

He also gave a special shoutout to Hawke. “When I was in school, Ethan Hawke came in to speak to us at Julliard and he gave an amazing talk about longevity as an actor, about protecting your instrument and avoiding self-destructive behaviours.

“It had a great impact on everyone in the room, so to be in this category with you tonight is incredible. Thank you, Ethan.”

The BAFTAs is sometimes accused of being too lock-step with the American awards so, to see Aramayo win in such a high-profile category over big names from across the Atlantic was a huge triumph. He also picked up an award for Rising Star, which is publicly voted.

There were also surprises in the best supporting acting races, with Sean Penn (One Battle After Another) picking up the victory in actor and Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners) in actress. Neither were the expected winners, but Mosaku is British, so may have had a home-field advantage over frontrunner Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another).

The BAFTAs and the Oscars have some cross-over in the voting bodies so the surprising winners here signal that the Oscars aren’t as presumptive for Taylor and Stellan Skarsgard (Sentimental Value) as expected.

Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) won the best leading actress award, beating out Australian contender Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You).

One Battle After Another also won for best director and best adapted screenplay for Paul Thomas Anderson, best editing and best cinematography.

In accepting best film, Anderson said, “This is a tremendous honour. I’m well aware of the other films that share this gift of an award and anybody who says movies aren’t good anymore, you can piss right off because this is a great f—king year.

“I know there’s a bar somewhere and I think we should all go there because it’s been a long evening but we have so much to celebrate, we have a line from Nina Simone that we stole in our film. She says, ‘I know what freedom is and it’s no fear’, so let’s keeping making things without fear if it’s a good idea. See you at the bar.”

Sinners picked up three awards in total and in addition to Mosaku, it also won for best original screenplay for Ryan Coogler and best original score for Ludwig Goransson.

EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, the singing voices behind Huntr/x, the fictional band in KPop Demon Hunters, did their first live performance outside of the US number with a rousing rendition of Golden. It was a way to still include KPop Demon Hunters in the ceremony because the film was ineligible to be nominated as it did not meet cinema release requirements in the UK.

As the president of BAFTA, Prince William attended the ceremony with his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales, but no mention was made of his uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

However, a comment Prince William made that he had not seen Hamnet because he needed to be “in quite a calm state and I am not at the moment” has been read as a reference to the turbulent time for the royal family.

BEST FILM

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another - WINNER

Sentimental Value

Sinners

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

28 Years Later

The Ballad of Wallis Island

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

Die My Love

H is for Hawk

Hamnet - WINNER

I Swear

Mr Burton

Pillion

Steve

BEST LEADING ACTRESS

Jessie Buckley, Hamnet - WINNER

Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue

Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another

Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value

Emma Stone, Bugonia

BEST LEADING ACTOR

Robert Aramayo, I Swear - WINNER

Timothee Chalamet, Marty Supreme

Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another

Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon

Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

Jesse Plemons, Bugonia

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Odessa A’zion, Marty Supreme

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value

Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners - WINNER

Carey Mulligan, The Ballad of Wallis Island

Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another

Emily Watson, Hamnet

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another

Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein

Paul Mescal, Hamnet

Peter Mullan, I Swear

Sean Penn, One Battle After Another - WINNER

Stellan Skarsgard, Sentimental Value

BEST DIRECTOR

Yorgos Lanthimos, Bugonia

Chloe Zhao, Hamnet

Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another - WINNER

Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value

Ryan Coogler, Sinners

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

The Ceremony

My Father’s Shadow - WINNER

Pillion

A Want in Her

Wasteman

BEST FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

It Was Just An Accident

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value - WINNER

Sirat

The Voice of Hind Rajab

BEST DOCUMENTARY

2000 Metres to Andriivka

Apocalypse in the Tropics

Cover-Up

Mr Nobody Against Putin - WINNER

The Perfect Neighbour

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Elio

Little Amelie

Zootropolis 2 - WINNER

BEST CHILDREN’S AND FAMILY FILM

Aeco

Boong - WINNER

Lilo & Stitch

Zootropolis 2

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

I Swear

Marty Supreme

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value

Sinners - WINNER

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Ballad of Wallis Island

Bugonia

Hamnet

One Battle After Another - WINNER

Pillion

BEST CASTING

I Swear - WINNER

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

Sentimental Value

Sinners

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Frankenstein

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another - WINNER

Sinners

Train Dreams

BEST EDITING

F1

A House of Dynamite

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another - WINNER

Sinners

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Frankenstein - WINNER

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

Sinners

Wicked: For Good

BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP

Frankenstein - WINNER

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

Sinners

Wicked: For Good

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Bugonia

Frankenstein

Hamnet

One Battle After Another

Sinners - WINNER

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Frankenstein - WINNER

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

Sinners

BEST SOUND

F1 - WINNER

Frankenstein

One Battle After Another

Sinners

Warfare

BEST SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

Avatar: Fire and Ash - WINNER

F1

Frankenstein

How to Train Your Dragon

The Lost Bus

BEST BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION

Cardboard

Solstice

Two Black Boys in Paradise

BEST BRITISH SHORT FILM

Magid/Zafar

Nostalgie

Terence

This Is Endometriosis - WINNER

Welcome Home Freckles

RISING STAR AWARD (Public voted)

Robert Aramayo - WINNER

Miles Caton

Chase Infiniti

Archie Madekwe

Posy Sterling