The BAFTA 2026 Movie Awards nominations had been unveiled to quick scrutiny, reflecting the fierce competitors of this 12 months’s awards season. Whereas a number of anticipated frontrunners dominated the checklist, the restricted top-category slots, particularly in finest movie, left notable contenders on the sidelines, leading to a lineup outlined by clear winners, high-profile snubs and contrasts with Oscar voting patterns. The Oscar nominations got here earlier this 12 months, so the combo of snubs and surprises was extra obtrusive and essential.
Heavyweights maintain the road
As predicted, One Battle After One other, Sinners, Hamnet and Marty Supreme emerged because the spine of the 2026 BAFTA nominations. Every movie appeared throughout a number of top-tier classes, confirming their standing as awards-season juggernauts slightly than late-breaking surprises. Their dominance mirrored months of crucial momentum and powerful trade backing, with BAFTA voters largely affirming the consensus that had already fashioned earlier within the race.
The 5 slot drawback: Greatest movie casualties
There’s a appreciable checklist of movies that had buzz, longlist energy or Oscar assist however finally did not land a BAFTA finest movie nomination. As an example, Depraved: For Good, one of the crucial high-profile, was omitted. Regardless of eight longlist mentions and main studio backing, the sequel failed to interrupt into the highest class and was restricted to costume and hair & make-up nominations. One other miss was Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. The movie discovered stable assist in craft classes and picked up a supporting actor nod for Jacob Elordi, but it missed out on Greatest Movie fully. This was particularly notable provided that the film did safe a Greatest Movie nomination on the Oscars, highlighting a transparent BAFTA–Academy break up.
I Swear is likely one of the stronger longlist performers, changing 5 of its six mentions into nominations. The one miss? Greatest Movie. The snub prompt sturdy branch-level assist, however not the broad consensus wanted to crack the ultimate 5.
Yorgos Lanthimos’s Bugonia landed high-profile nominations, together with finest director and performing nods for Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, however nonetheless did not make the Greatest Movie slot.
Whereas Nuremberg‘s exclusion from finest movie was much less stunning by nomination morning, the movie’s failure to transform any of its six longlist spots made it one of the crucial dramatic fallouts of the 12 months and firmly positioned it among the many casualties of an overcrowded discipline.
Depraved: For Good omitted within the chilly
Already smarting from an entire Oscar shutout, Depraved: For Good discovered little comfort at BAFTA. Regardless of eight longlist appearances, the sequel secured simply two nominations, each in technical classes. The absence of performing recognition for Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, mixed with misses in finest movie, director and screenplay, positioned the movie as one of many 12 months’s most conspicuous underperformers, a stark distinction to the dimensions of its ambition and cultural footprint.
BAFTA backs its personal
True to kind, BAFTA confirmed specific enthusiasm for expertise with sturdy UK and Irish ties. Paul Mescal’s supporting actor nomination for Hamnet adopted his Oscar snub and marked his third BAFTA nod in 4 years, reinforcing his standing as a BAFTA favorite. In the meantime, One Battle After One other breakout Chase Infiniti and Marty Supreme’s Odessa A’zion each landed performing nominations regardless of being missed by the Academy Awards, highlighting BAFTA’s willingness to champion rising performers earlier than Hollywood absolutely catches up.
Information, firsts and milestones
Past the wins and losses, the 2026 nominations made historical past. Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet grew to become the most-nominated movie by a girl in BAFTA historical past with 11 nods, whilst Zhao stood as the only feminine director nominee. Ryan Coogler’s Sinners set a brand new report because the most-nominated movie by a Black director, whereas Leonardo DiCaprio’s seventh finest actor nomination for One Battle After One other tied him with among the class’s most legendary names. Collectively, these milestones added a layer of significance to an already conversation-driving 12 months.
Longlist losers and conversion kings
The journey from longlist to remaining nominations proved decisive. James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg suffered the harshest destiny, changing none of its six longlist mentions into nominations. In distinction, Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Worth emerged because the gold customary for conversion, securing nominations in each class it was longlisted for. Sinners almost matched that feat, lacking just one class, whereas Marty Supreme additionally posted a formidable conversion charge, underscoring its broad-based assist throughout branches.
Studio Scorecard: Who received the numbers sport
Warner Bros Discovery topped the distributor leaderboard with 27 nominations, largely pushed by the dual powerhouses One Battle After One other and Sinners. Common/Focus Options adopted intently with 24 nominations, buoyed by Hamnet and The Ballad of Wallis Island. Netflix led the streaming platforms with 14 nominations, together with sturdy illustration in documentary and technical classes, whereas Mubi’s 13 nominations marked considered one of its strongest BAFTA performances thus far.
BAFTA vs the Oscars: Comparable tastes, totally different priorities
Whereas there was broad alignment between BAFTA and the Oscars on main titles, notable variations revealed themselves within the particulars. BAFTA’s performing classes featured solely English-speaking performances, leaving Oscar nominee Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent) exterior even the longlist. The distinction highlighted BAFTA’s comparatively narrower worldwide attain, notably when measured towards the Academy’s more and more world membership.
The 79th BAFTA Movie Awards ceremony will happen on February 22, 2026.