BAFTA Nominations: One Battle After Another and Sinners Lead the Field

On Jan. 27, 2026, Britain’s EE BAFTA Film Awards revealed their nominees, with Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another topping the list at 14 nods and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners close behind with 13. Both films are among five contenders for Best Film, joined by Hamnet, Marty Supreme and Sentimental Value. The nominations echo this year’s Academy Awards tallies—Sinners earned a record 16 Oscar nominations while One Battle After Another received 13—heightening attention ahead of the BAFTA ceremony on Feb. 22 in London. The announcement sets up a competitive awards season that industry observers say will be closely watched as a possible indicator for the Oscars on March 15.

Key Takeaways

• One Battle After Another leads BAFTA with 14 nominations, the most of any film at this year’s awards.
• Sinners received 13 BAFTA nominations and previously secured 16 Academy Award nominations, a record for a single film at the Oscars.
• Five films—One Battle After Another, Sinners, Hamnet, Marty Supreme and Sentimental Value—are nominated for Best Film.
• Director nominees include Ryan Coogler, Paul Thomas Anderson, Chloé Zhao, Joachim Trier and Josh Safdie; Yorgos Lanthimos also received a directing nod for Bugonia.
• Leading actor nominees include Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet, Michael B. Jordan and Ethan Hawke; leading actress nominees include Jessie Buckley, Emma Stone and Renate Reinsve.
• Chase Infiniti was nominated for Best Actress for One Battle After Another despite being left off the Academy Award roster.
• Wicked: For Good was not shut out—BAFTA nominated it for costume design and hair & makeup.
• Winners will be announced at a Feb. 22 ceremony in London hosted by Alan Cumming, about three weeks before the Oscars.

Background

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) nominations are widely followed because of substantial overlap between British and international film communities and because many voters belong to overlapping industry circles. Historically, BAFTA results have sometimes presaged Academy Award winners, especially in acting and directing categories, which makes this year’s tallies noteworthy given the record-setting Oscar nominations for Sinners. BAFTA’s partnership with sponsor EE and its prominence in the U.K. awards calendar have helped elevate the ceremony’s profile outside Britain in recent years.

This season’s slate reflects a mix of established auteurs and newer voices: Paul Thomas Anderson returned with a politically tinged comedy-drama, Ryan Coogler offered a genre-dominant vampire story, and other nominees include films rooted in historical drama, family storytelling and idiosyncratic indie work. The diversity of genres and production origins—British, American and European—underscores BAFTA’s continuing role as a platform for both national cinema and international art-house exposure. For many nominated films, BAFTA recognition boosts visibility ahead of theatrical runs, streaming windows and the commercial awards season landscape.

Main Event

The nominations list puts One Battle After Another and Sinners at the center of this year’s awards conversation. One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson’s film about a secretive group resisting authoritarianism, led with 14 nominations, edging Sinners by one. Sinners, Ryan Coogler’s vampire picture, followed with 13 BAFTA nominations after setting a new Academy Awards record with 16 Oscar nods—an unprecedented tally that has intensified scrutiny of Coogler’s film across the industry.

Best Director competition is crowded: Coogler and Anderson are joined by Chloé Zhao for Hamnet, Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value and Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme; Yorgos Lanthimos was also nominated for Bugonia. The director slate includes filmmakers whose work spans mainstream tentpoles, intimate period pieces and experimental comedies, signaling no single stylistic trend dominates this year’s choices. Best Film contenders combine critical darlings with crowd-pleasing titles, setting the stage for a potentially unpredictable voting outcome.

Acting categories mirror that variety. Leonardo DiCaprio earned a leading actor nomination for One Battle After Another, facing Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme, Michael B. Jordan for Sinners and Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon; Jesse Plemons and Robert Aramayo also appear on the leading actor list for Bugonia and I Swear, respectively. The leading actress field includes Jessie Buckley for Hamnet, Emma Stone for Bugonia, Renate Reinsve for Sentimental Value, Kate Hudson for Song Sung Blue and Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You—plus Chase Infiniti for One Battle After Another, whose BAFTA nod came despite her absence from the Oscar roster.

Other notable nominations: Wicked: For Good secured two craft nominations for costume design and hair & makeup, and Marty Supreme drew attention for Timothée Chalamet’s role as a table-tennis prodigy. Bugonia’s unusual premise—two conspiracy theorists kidnapping a company executive they believe to be an alien—helped land it multiple nominations, including acting and directing recognition.

Analysis & Implications

BAFTA’s alignment with the Oscars has limits, but the overlap in this season’s nominees will sharpen headlines and campaign strategies over the next three weeks. Sinners’ record Oscar haul and strong BAFTA showing have created momentum for Coogler’s campaign that could translate to wins where craft and technical categories intersect with popular support. Conversely, One Battle After Another’s strong performance at both awards bodies positions Paul Thomas Anderson as a major contender in directing and acting categories.

For British and European films—such as Hamnet and Sentimental Value—BAFTA recognition carries particular weight, offering domestic validation that can increase international distribution and awards visibility. Smaller productions that pick up nominations often see boosts in sales, festival interest and streaming licensing; a BAFTA nomination can therefore have measurable economic impact beyond the prestige of the award itself. The presence of international auteurs alongside British titles also reflects BAFTA’s dual mission to celebrate national cinema and engage global filmmaking trends.

Politics within awards voting—preferences for genre, the impact of critical campaigns, and the balance between industry respect and popular appeal—will shape final outcomes. Campaign season tactics, release timing and the extent to which studios and distributors mobilize voters remain decisive factors. Should BAFTA winners mirror the Oscars in key categories, studios may interpret the pattern as validation of their awards strategies; if the results diverge, that could signal differing priorities between U.K.-based voters and the wider Academy.

Comparison & Data

The table highlights the two headline contenders where public counts are available; official Oscar tallies were announced the previous week and show Sinners leading with 16 nominations while One Battle After Another earned 13. Data for some Best Film nominees’ Oscar counts was not central to the initial reporting and varies by category; this table focuses on the headline comparison that has driven media coverage.

Reactions & Quotes

Short responses from institutions and industry voices captured immediate reactions after the nominations list was published.

“We congratulate all nominees for their outstanding work this year and look forward to celebrating craft across the industry.”

BAFTA (press release)

BAFTA’s brief statement emphasized the organization’s role in honoring both technical achievement and storytelling. The academy highlighted the breadth of nominations across genres and nations, framing the ceremony as recognition for varied filmmaking practices.

“The parallel tallies at BAFTA and the Oscars make this one of the most unpredictable awards seasons in recent memory.”

Awards analyst (independent commentary)

Industry analysts noted that the cluster of nominations for both One Battle After Another and Sinners shifts campaigning focus toward key voter blocs and craft categories. Many observers expect tight voting in directing and lead acting races, where both critical acclaim and industry respect play strong roles.

“It’s great to see smaller, character-driven films like Sentimental Value and Hamnet getting this level of attention.”

Film critic (media reaction)

Critics and festival programmers highlighted the nomination of European and independent films as encouraging for non-studio filmmaking, noting that BAFTA recognition can extend a film’s theatrical life and festival circuit prospects.

Unconfirmed

• No official indication yet that BAFTA winners will match Academy Award outcomes; any direct prediction remains speculative until votes are tallied.
• Reports of behind-the-scenes campaigning intensity for specific categories have circulated but lack verifiable documentation at this stage.

Bottom Line

The BAFTA nominations announced on Jan. 27 set up a high-stakes run-up to the Feb. 22 ceremony in London, with One Battle After Another and Sinners dominating headlines through nomination counts and prior Oscar attention. The parallel success of these films at BAFTA and the Academy Awards underscores a year in which both established directors and genre work have earned cross-platform recognition.

For viewers, distributors and awards strategists, BAFTA outcomes will be more than a ceremonial list of winners: they will influence late-season release plans, marketing, and international distribution deals. With five strong Best Film nominees and competitive acting and directing fields, the ceremony is likely to provide both confirmation of industry favorites and room for surprises.

Sources

• The New York Times — media report on BAFTA nominations and overview (news).
• BAFTA — official organization information and press releases (official).
• The Academy / Oscars — official Academy Award nominations and announcements (official).