The 79th British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs, were held on 22 February 2026, honouring the best national and foreign films of 2025, at the Royal Festival Hall within London's Southbank Centre. Presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, accolades were given for the best feature-length films and documentaries of any nationality that were screened at British cinemas in 2025. The ceremony was hosted by Alan Cumming for the first time, following David Tennant's hosting position in 2024 and 2025. The broadcast aired on BBC One and streamed on iPlayer in the United Kingdom at 7 p.m. GMT; in the United States, the E! network aired the ceremony for the first time as a pre-recorded special at 8 p.m. ET/PT, after previously being streamed via BritBox in America. The BAFTA longlists were announced on 9 January 2026. The nominations were announced by 2025 EE Rising Star Award winner David Jonsson and Aimee Lou Wood on 27 January 2026 from BAFTA's HQ at 195 Piccadilly, London, and live-streamed on BAFTA's X account and YouTube channel. The EE Rising Star Award nominees, which is the only category voted for by the British public, were announced on 14 January 2026. The action thriller film One Battle After Another led the longlists with sixteen mentions, becoming the most longlisted film in BAFTA history, followed by Hamnet and Sinners with fourteen each. One Battle After Another ultimately received the most nominations with fourteen, followed by Sinners with thirteen, and Hamnet and Marty Supreme with eleven each. Hamnet also made history as BAFTA's most-nominated film by a female director, while Sinners became the most-nominated film by a Black director in BAFTA history. Ultimately, One Battle After Another won the most awards with six, followed by Frankenstein and Sinners with three each. Sinners made history as BAFTA's most-honored film by a Black director, while Marty Supreme tied the record for most losses at a single ceremony after going 0-for-11. == Winners and nominees == The BAFTA longlists were announced on 9 January 2026. The nominees were announced on 27 January 2026. The winners were announced on 22 February 2026. === BAFTA Fellowship === The BAFTA Fellowship recipient was announced on 11 February 2026. Donna Langley === Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema === The Outstanding Contribution Award recipient was announced on 19 January 2026. Clare Binns === Awards === Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface. == Ceremony information == The ceremony was held at the Royal Festival Hall within London's Southbank Centre on 22 February 2026, hosted by Alan Cumming. The nominations were announced on 27 January 2026. It was broadcast on BBC One and streamed on iPlayer in the United Kingdom at 7 p.m. GMT, and aired as a pre-recorded special on E! in the United States at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Additionally, it streamed on HBO Max Australia for Australian viewers. The BBC edited the three-hour ceremony into a two-hour broadcast window; acceptance speeches were edited, but the BBC said it would attempt to maintain the essence of what was said on stage. Ahead of the ceremony, audiences were able to watch BBC Radio 1's Clara Amfo and Ali Plumb live from the red carpet on BAFTA's YouTube channel while podcasters Benedict and Hannah Townsend reported exclusively on BAFTA's digital channels, giving viewers access to all the arrivals. In their first live performance outside the United States, the singing voices of Huntrix from the Netflix animated musical film KPop Demon Hunters (Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami) performed "Golden". Emma Baehr, Executive Director of Awards & Content of BAFTA, said that KPop Demon Hunters has gained "a phenomenal impact on the hearts and minds of audiences of all ages around the world" since its release in June 2025 and that the BAFTAs were "thrilled" to have the singers of Huntrix perform at the ceremony. British singer and songwriter Jessie Ware performed during the "In Memoriam" segment, covering the Barbra Streisand song "The Way We Were". According to Deadline Hollywood, the BBC monitored the ceremony closely for politically-charged speeches after the UK broadcaster sparked a national scandal by streaming a Glastonbury Festival act chanting "death to the IDF" in summer 2025. The news outlet also reported that the past controversy had been a feature of contingency planning for the BAFTA Film Awards, with BBC executives and external producers at Penny Lane Entertainment keen to avoid screening any similarly controversial moments, should they occur during winner acceptance speeches. The BBC's Gaza-related media coverage has been heavily scrutinized while the BAFTAs were attended by many who are "sympathetic" to the Palestinian conflict. One such incident occurred when My Father's Shadow filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr. won Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer with a section of his acceptance speech being cut out from the broadcast. Davies Jr. closed his remarks by dedicating the award to "all those whose parents migrated to obtain a better life for their children", adding, "To the economic migrant. The conflict migrant. Those under occupation, dictatorship, persecution, and those experiencing genocide. You matter. Your stories matter more than ever. Your dreams are an act of resistance to those watching at home. Archive your loved ones. Archive your stories yesterday, today, and forever. For Nigeria, for London, the Congo, Sudan, free Palestine." This part of the speech was removed from the BBC broadcast and, instead, the edit featured Davies Jr. thanking his family and his brother, Wale, for "nurturing this spark". A BBC spokesperson said: "The live event is three hours and it has to be reduced to two hours for its on-air slot. The same happened to other speeches made during the night and all edits were made to ensure the programme was delivered to time." The following day, Davies Jr. acknowledged that edits had to be made to the broadcast but said "it's a shame" that the last part of his speech was cut, though claimed he is still proud to have used his moment in the spotlight to give a voice to those without one. "It was really important in the moment for me to say that in a room full of artists, because we have an opportunity to influence people because they watch our films", he concluded. The lack of British representation in the top acting categories sparked backlash with British fans, and film critics and journalists. Just one British actor, Robert Aramayo (for I Swear), appeared in the leading actor category, while there were no British nominees at all in the leading actress category (the UK-based Irish actress Jessie Buckley notwithstanding). Peter Mullan (for I Swear) was the only Briton nominated in the supporting actor category, while representation in the supporting actress category fared better, with Wunmi Mosaku (for Sinners), Carey Mulligan (for The Ballad of Wallis Island) and Emily Watson (for Hamnet) nominated. For BAFTA-winning producer Rebecca O'Brien, known for her work with English filmmaker Ken Loach, the problem is structural. "In other countries, you have awards tailored to their national film industries, like the Goyas in Spain and the Césars in France", she said, adding, "The BAFTAs fall between two stools: It's both a British awards show and an Oscars bellwether. It makes sense to do both, but it's a real dilemma." Guy Lodge of Variety argued that BAFTA should "fly its own flag a little higher", writing: "Almost every year, the BAFTA nominations are met with widespread grumbling in the U.K. industry about the lack of recognition for the home team ... prompting the question: If the BAFTAs aren't for the Brits, who are they really for? For pundits, they've certainly become a useful Oscar bellwether in the decades since they shifted their schedule to precede the American show. But shouldn't they mean more in their own right?" The ceremony was attended by BAFTA president William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales. This marked the Princess's first appearance at the annual event since 2023; neither attended in 2025. === BBC editing incident === Throughout the ceremony, Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson (the topic of the film I Swear) had several tic-related outbursts, including shouting the word "nigger" at Black actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo while they were presenting the first category of the night (Best Special Visual Effects). This later prompted Cumming to apologise for any strong language heard throughout the broadcast, though he thanked the audience for their "understanding" of Tourette's. Davidson later left on his own accord following the first half-hour of the ceremony. The BBC apologised for not editing the slur out from the broadcast. A second apology was later issued with BBC producers saying that they "didn't hear" the word. It is understood that the producers overseeing the ceremony for the BBC were doing so from a truck; several other incidents of inappropriate language were cut out, but that moment was missed. The moment remained on BBC iPlayer overnight before being removed sometime the following morning. Following the ceremony, Lindo spoke about the incident, saying that he and Jordan "did what [they] had to do" while presenting, despite the word being heard across the auditorium, and wished that "someone from BAFTA spoke to [them] afterwards". Production designer Hannah Beachler alleged that in addition to Jordan and Lindo, Davidson had also directed racial slurs at her and another Black attendee at the ceremony, describing it as an "almost impossible" situation to address while criticizing Cumming for making the situation worse with his "throwaway apology". Black actors Jamie Foxx and Wendell Pierce condemned the moment on social media; Foxx called it "unacceptable" and suggested that Davidson's outburst was intentional, while Pierce deemed it "infuriating", and criticized BAFTA for prioritizing Davidson's needs over Jordan's and Lindo's feelings. UK charity Tourettes Action defended Davidson against backlash, claiming: "It is vital that the public understands a fundamental truth about Tourette syndrome: tics are involuntary. They are not a reflection of a person's beliefs, intentions, or character." Speaking to the BBC, following the ceremony, actor Robert Aramayo (who portrayed Davidson in I Swear and won Best Actor in a Leading Role) spoke on the matter and defended Davidson, saying, "They are tics. He is ticking. We have to understand. The way we perceive Tourette's is a joint responsibility. It's not shouting obscenities. It's not being abusive ... If it can lead to a deeper understanding of Tourette's, and movies are part of that conversation, then it's an incredible thing." Davidson later released a statement, explaining his outbursts: I wanted to thank BAFTA and everyone involved in the awards last night for their support and understanding and inviting me to attend the broadcast. I appreciated the announcement to the auditorium in advance of the recording, warning everyone that my tics are involuntary and are not a reflection of my personal beliefs. I was heartened by the round of applause that followed this announcement and felt welcomed and understood in an environment that would normally be impossible for me. In addition to the announcement by Alan Cumming, the BBC and BAFTA, I can only add that I am, and always have been deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning. I was in attendance to celebrate the film of my life, I Swear, which more than any film or TV documentary, explains the origins, condition, traits and manifestations of Tourette Syndrome. I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette's community and to teach empathy, kindness and understanding from others and I will continue to do so. I chose to leave the auditorium early into the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing. BAFTA also released a full statement, addressing the incident and apologising: At the BAFTA Film Awards last night, our guests heard very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many. We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all. One of our guests, John Davidson MBE, has Tourette's syndrome and has devoted his life to educating and campaigning for better understanding of this condition. Tourette's Syndrome causes involuntary verbal tics that the individual has no control over. Such tics are in no way a reflection of an individual's beliefs and are not intentional. John Davidson is an executive producer of the BAFTA-nominated film, I Swear, which is based on his life experience. We take the duty of care to all our guests very seriously and start from a position of inclusion. We took measures to make those in attendance aware of the tics, announcing to the audience before the ceremony began, and throughout, that John was in the room and that they may hear strong language, involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony. Early in the ceremony, a loud tic in the form of a profoundly offensive term was heard by many people in the room. Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time, and we apologise unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted. We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism. Writing for Variety, Clayton Davis criticized BAFTA's and BBC's handling of the situation by failing to inform the ceremony's participants of Davidson's condition beforehand and allowing the slur to play unedited for the tape delayed broadcast, while censoring less severe comments or remarks made by other attendees during the show. Davis, while expressing sympathy for Davidson, argued that the organizers' and Cumming's use of the words "strong language" to describe Davidson's outburst both downplayed the offensiveness behind the slur and further mischaracterized Tourette's, concluding that Davidson, Jordan, Lindo, the Tourette's community and Black people "deserved better". Conversely, Deadline Hollywood's Baz Bamigboye believed that the incident could be "a teachable moment", writing: "Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder with no cure. There are treatments than can help manage the tics, but they never go away." Stuart Heritage of The Guardian argued that the BAFTAs "must get rid of their two-hour delay and broadcast live", adding, "Last night made clear that broadcasting a partially redacted version long after the winners have been announced doesn't work for anyone." Franklin Leonard, founder of The Black List, wrote on X: "I don't know why it's so hard for people to have empathy for Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, Hannah Beachler, and John Davidson. Each of them deserves it." He later added: "A fun thought experiment is 'what would they have let Davidson yell at the Prince and Princess during the BAFTAs and still broadcast it?'" Black academic and studies professor Kehinde Andrews opined that it was "not fair" to Davidson because he would have preferred it not to have been broadcast and that it was "not his fault". Critics further noted that the BBC edited out lengthy walks to the stage and portions of speeches, including Davies Jr.'s "Free Palestine" remarks, and questioned how the BBC was able to do such extensive editing while also failing to edit out the racial slur. == In Memoriam == The In Memoriam montage was played to the song "The Way We Were", performed by Jessie Ware, and paid tribute to the following: == Statistics == == Notes == == See also == == References == == External links == Official website