One Battle After Another triumphs at UK’s BAFTA film awards

The offbeat thriller has won six BAFTAs, including best film and best director for Paul Thomas Anderson.Published On 23 Feb 2026The dark comedy One Battle After Another has swept the United Kingdom’s top film honours, picking up six BAFTA awards, including best film and best director for Paul Thomas Anderson.The film beat the Shakespearean family tragedy Hamnet, and the vampire thriller Sinners, to take the top prizes at Sunday evening’s ceremony.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4BBC accused of censoring acts of Gaza solidarity in BAFTA awards coveragelist 2 of 4BAFTA nominations see push on diversity after last year’s outcrylist 3 of 4Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton dies aged 79list 4 of 4Oscars 2025: Nominees, predictions and what time to watchend of listThe UK prizes, officially called the EE BAFTA Film Awards, often provide hints about who will win at Hollywood’s Academy Awards, held this year on March 15.One Battle After Another, an explosive film about a group of revolutionaries in chaotic conflict with the state, won awards for directing, adapted screenplay, cinematography, and editing, as well as for Sean Penn’s supporting performance as an obsessed military officer.“This is very overwhelming and wonderful,” Anderson said as he accepted the directing prize. “We have a line from Nina Simone that we used in our film: ‘I know what freedom is: It’s no fear’,” the director said. “Let’s keep making things without fear. It’s a good idea.”Sinners, which has a record 16 Oscar nods, won best original screenplay for writer and director Ryan Coogler, best supporting actress for Wunmi Mosaku, and best original score.The gothic horror story Frankenstein won three awards each, while Hamnet won two, including best British film.The documentary about Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, The Voice of Hind Rajab, was among the top contenders for BAFTA’s best director and non-English language film categories. But the film Sentimental Value won in the non-English language category.The biggest surprise of the night was Robert Aramayo winning the best actor category for his performance in I Swear, a fact-based British indie drama about a campaigner for people with Tourette syndrome.