One Battle After Another sweeps BAFTAs as Alia Bhatt debuts as presenter

The Royal Festival Hall played host to a night of high drama on 22 February 2026 as the BAFTA Film Awards saw Paul Thomas Anderson's dark comedy, One Battle After Another, emerge as the dominant force in global cinema. According to BBC and Reuters, the politically charged feature secured six awards, including the night's most prestigious prizes: Best Film and Best Director.

The victory marks a significant blow to home favourites like Hamnet, which, despite its "home advantage," had to settle for Outstanding British Film and a Best Actress win for Jessie Buckley. Anderson's film also triumphed in the Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, and Editing categories. Accepting his awards, Anderson quoted Nina Simone, stating: "I know what freedom is, it's no fear... let's keep making things without fear."

The evening's most staggering upset occurred in the Best Actor category. British actor Robert Aramayo stunned the audience by beating Hollywood heavyweights Timothée Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio for his portrayal of Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson in I Swear. Aramayo made history by becoming the first person to win both the Rising Star and Leading Actor awards in a single night.

Adding a touch of global "glamour and pride," Bollywood superstar Alia Bhatt made her BAFTA debut as a presenter. Dressed in a silver gown, she began her speech with a warm "Namaskar" in Hindi while presenting the award for Best Film Not in the English Language. "Don't reach for the subtitles just yet," she joked, before eloquently switching to English to explain: "While film speaks in countless voices, what we always celebrate is the language of cinema. And that one we all speak fluently."