BAFTA 2026 Nominations Unveil Major Snubs and Historic Achievements
The announcement of the 2026 BAFTA film award nominations on Tuesday morning delivered a mix of expected triumphs and startling omissions, reshaping the awards landscape just weeks after the Oscar nominations were revealed.
Notable Snubs Dominate Headlines
Among the most discussed absences was Wicked: For Good, the highly anticipated sequel to last year's seven-time BAFTA nominee. The film failed to secure recognition in any major category, managing only two nods for costume design and hair and makeup. This represents a dramatic fall from grace, particularly as its predecessor earned seven nominations and two wins in 2025.
Equally surprising was the exclusion of Guillermo del Toro from the Best Director category for his film Frankenstein, despite the movie receiving eight nominations overall, including a Supporting Actor nod for Jacob Elordi. The film was also overlooked in the Best Film and Adapted Screenplay categories at BAFTA, despite being represented in both at the Oscars.
Acting Categories Deliver Surprises
The performance nominations revealed significant divergence from the Academy Awards, with four Oscar-nominated actors missing from BAFTA's lists: Amy Madigan (Weapons), Delroy Lindo (Sinners), Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent), and Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value).
Conversely, several performers recognized by BAFTA were overlooked by the Academy, including Paul Mescal (Hamnet), Jesse Plemons (Bugonia), and Odessa A'Zion (Marty Supreme). This discrepancy is partly explained by BAFTA's structure of six slots per performance category, compared to the Oscars' five.
Record-Breaking Achievements and Frontrunners
Making history, Chloe Zhao's adaptation of Hamnet has broken the record for the most nominations ever received by a female-directed film in BAFTA's history. The film scored eleven nominations overall, including Best Film and Best Director.
Leading the nomination count is One Battle After Another with an impressive fourteen nods, including Best Film, Best Director, and a Leading Actor nomination for Leonardo DiCaprio. Close behind is Sinners with thirteen nominations, while Marty Supreme joins Hamnet with eleven nods each.
The Best Film Contenders
The five movies competing for the prestigious Best Film award are:
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
Other notable recognition includes eight nominations each for Frankenstein and Sentimental Value, five for I Swear and Bugonia, and three each for The Ballad of Wallis Island, Pillion, and F1.
Ceremony Details and Full List
The nominations were announced by 2025 Rising Star nominee David Jonsson and actress Aimee Lou Wood. The winners will be revealed at the EE BAFTA Film Awards ceremony on Sunday, February 22, 2026, broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
The complete nominations list showcases the breadth of British and international filmmaking talent recognized this year, from outstanding debut categories to technical achievements in cinematography, editing, and visual effects.
