While several expected heavyweights dominated the nominations, the limited number of slots—particularly in the Best Film category—meant several high-profile contenders were left out, shaping one of the most competitive awards races in recent years.

BAFTA 2026 Front-Runners Hold Strong

As widely predicted, One Battle After Another, Sinners, Hamnet, and Marty Supreme emerged as the core contenders at BAFTA 2026. Each film secured multiple top-tier nominations, reinforcing their status as awards-season powerhouses rather than late-stage surprises.

Their dominance reflects months of critical momentum and industry support, with BAFTA voters largely backing the consensus that had already formed earlier in the race.

The Best Film Bottleneck: High-Profile Casualties

The five-slot Best Film category proved especially ruthless. Several films with strong buzz, longlist success, or Oscar backing failed to secure a nomination.

Among the most notable omissions was Wicked: For Good. Despite earning eight longlist mentions and significant studio backing, the sequel failed to make the Best Film cut and was limited to nominations in costume design and hair & make-up.

Another major snub was Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. Although the film performed well in craft categories and earned Jacob Elordi a supporting actor nomination, it missed out on Best Film—despite securing a nomination in the same category at the Oscars. The omission highlighted a clear split between BAFTA and Academy voters.

Strong Longlists, Weak Final Conversions

Several films demonstrated solid branch-level support but lacked the broad consensus needed to break into the Best Film lineup.

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  I Swear converted five of its six longlist mentions into nominations, missing only Best Film.

  
  


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  Bugonia, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, landed major nods for best director and acting (Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons) but still failed to crack the top category.

  
  


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  Nuremberg suffered the steepest fall, converting none of its six longlist mentions into nominations, making it one of the year’s biggest casualties.

  
  

Wicked: For Good Underperforms

Already reeling from a complete Oscar shutout, Wicked: For Good found little relief at BAFTA. Despite eight longlist appearances, the film secured just two technical nominations and missed out on acting recognition for Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, as well as director and screenplay categories.

The result positioned the sequel as one of the most prominent underperformers of the year, given its scale and cultural footprint.

BAFTA Continues to Champion UK and Irish Talent

True to form, BAFTA showed strong support for performers with UK and Irish connections.
Paul Mescal earned a supporting actor nomination for Hamnet following his Oscar snub, marking his third BAFTA nomination in four years.

Meanwhile, Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another) and Odessa A’zion (Marty Supreme) received acting nods despite being overlooked by the Academy, reinforcing BAFTA’s reputation for spotlighting emerging talent ahead of Hollywood recognition.

Records, Firsts and Historic Milestones

The 2026 nominations also marked several significant milestones:

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  Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet became the most-nominated film by a woman in BAFTA history with 11 nominations, even as Zhao stood as the sole female director nominee.

  
  


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  Ryan Coogler’s Sinners set a new record as the most-nominated film by a Black director.

  
  


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  Leonardo DiCaprio earned his seventh Best Actor BAFTA nomination for One Battle After Another, tying him with some of the category’s most legendary names.

  
  

Longlist Losers and Conversion Leaders

The journey from longlist to final nominations proved decisive:

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  Nuremberg failed to convert any longlist mentions.

  
  


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  Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value achieved a perfect conversion rate, securing nominations in every category it was longlisted for.

  
  


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  Sinners and Marty Supreme also posted strong conversion rates, underscoring their broad-based industry support.

  
  

Studio Scorecard: Who Led BAFTA 2026

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  Warner Bros Discovery topped the distributor rankings with 27 nominations, driven by One Battle After Another and Sinners.

  
  


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  Universal/Focus Features followed with 24 nominations, powered by Hamnet and The Ballad of Wallis Island.

  
  


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  Netflix led streaming platforms with 14 nominations, particularly in documentary and technical categories.

  
  


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  Mubi delivered one of its strongest BAFTA performances to date with 13 nominations.

  
  

BAFTA vs Oscars: Where They Diverge

While BAFTA and the Oscars aligned on many major contenders, key differences stood out. BAFTA’s acting categories featured exclusively English-language performances, excluding Oscar nominee Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent) even from the longlist.

The contrast highlighted BAFTA’s comparatively narrower international scope when compared with the Academy’s increasingly global membership.

What’s Next

The 79th BAFTA Film Awards will be held on February 22, 2026, where the season’s debates—winners, snubs, and surprises—will finally be settled.