The awards season race has officially intensified with the BAFTA Film Awards 2026 longlists, and the picture emerging is one of bold auteurs, ambitious storytelling, and a clear split between prestige drama and genre-driven cinema. As one of the most influential precursors to the Oscars, BAFTA’s longlists often act as an early roadmap for where the season is headed—and this year’s selections are already sparking serious industry chatter.
Topping the leaderboard is One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson’s politically charged thriller, which dominates the longlists with 16 mentions, making it the most widely recognised film so far. Close behind are Hamnet, directed by Chloé Zhao, and Sinners from Ryan Coogler—both earning 14 mentions each and establishing themselves as serious Best Film contenders.
What’s particularly striking about this year’s longlists is the balance. Literary adaptations, emotionally restrained dramas, and technically ambitious genre films are all sharing space—suggesting a year where voters are rewarding risk, scale, and strong directorial vision in equal measure.
Below is the complete BAFTA Film Awards 2026 longlist, presented category by category.
🎬 Best Film
- The Ballad of Wallis Island
- Bugonia
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- I Swear
- Marty Supreme
- Nuremberg
- One Battle After Another
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
🎥 Director
- Yorgos Lanthimos – Bugonia
- Lynne Ramsay – Die My Love
- Chloé Zhao – Hamnet
- Kathryn Bigelow – A House of Dynamite
- Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
- Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
- Hikari – Rental Family
- Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
- Ryan Coogler – Sinners
- Kaouther Ben Hania – The Voice of Hind Rajab
✍️ Original Screenplay
- Blue Moon
- A House of Dynamite
- I Swear
- Is This Thing On?
- It Was Just an Accident
- Marty Supreme
- The Secret Agent
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
- Weapons
📖 Adapted Screenplay
- 28 Years Later
- The Ballad of Wallis Island
- Bugonia
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Nuremberg
- One Battle After Another
- Pillion
- Train Dreams
- Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
🎭 Leading Actress
- Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
- Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
- Cynthia Erivo – Wicked: For Good
- Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue
- Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
- Jennifer Lawrence – Die My Love
- Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
- Andrea Riseborough – Dragonfly
- Emma Stone – Bugonia
- Tessa Thompson – Hedda
🎭 Leading Actor
- Robert Aramayo – I Swear
- Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
- Russell Crowe – Nuremberg
- Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
- Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
- Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
- Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
- Harry Melling – Pillion
- Cillian Murphy – Steve
- Jesse Plemons – Bugonia
🎭 Supporting Actress
- Odessa A’zion – Marty Supreme
- Brenda Blethyn – Dragonfly
- Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
- Amy Madigan – Weapons
- Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
- Carey Mulligan – The Ballad of Wallis Island
- Gwyneth Paltrow – Marty Supreme
- Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
- Emily Watson – Hamnet
🎭 Supporting Actor
- Benicio Del Toro – One Battle After Another
- Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
- Delroy Lindo – Sinners
- Paul Mescal – Hamnet
- Peter Mullan – I Swear
- Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
- Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly
- Andrew Scott – Blue Moon
- Alexander Skarsgård – Pillion
- Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
🇬🇧 Outstanding British Film
- 28 Years Later
- Ballad of a Small Player
- The Ballad of Wallis Island
- Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
- The Choral
- Die My Love
- Goodbye June
- H Is for Hawk
- Hamnet
- I Swear
- Mr Burton
- Pillion
- The Roses
- Steve
- Warfare
🎬 Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
- The Ceremony
- The Man in My Basement
- Mother Vera
- My Father’s Shadow
- Pillion
- Ocean With David Attenborough
- The Shadow Scholars
- Urchin
- A Want In Her
- Wasteman
👨👩👧 Children’s & Family Film
- Arco
- Boong
- Elio
- Grow
- How to Train Your Dragon
- Lilo & Stitch
- Little Amelie
- Zootropolis 2
🌍 Film Not in the English Language
- It Was Just an Accident
- La Grazia
- Left-Handed Girl
- No Other Choice
- Nouvelle Vague
- Rental Family
- The Secret Agent
- Sentimental Value
- Sirāt
- The Voice of Hind Rajab
🎞️ Documentary
- 2000 Meters to Andriivka
- Apocalypse in the Tropics
- Becoming Led Zeppelin
- Cover-Up
- The Librarians
- Mr Nobody Against Putin
- Ocean With David Attenborough
- One to One: John & Yoko
- The Perfect Neighbor
- Riefenstahl
🧸 Animated Film
- Arco
- The Bad Guys 2
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle
- Elio
- Little Amelie
- Zootropolis 2
🎭 Casting
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- A House of Dynamite
- I Swear
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- Pillion
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
- Sirāt
🎥 Cinematography
- Ballad of a Small Player
- Bugonia
- Die My Love
- F1
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- Sinners
- Train Dreams
👗 Costume Design
- Bugonia
- Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- Nouvelle Vague
- Nuremberg
- One Battle After Another
- Sinners
- Wicked: For Good
✂️ Editing
- 28 Years Later
- Bugonia
- F1
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- A House of Dynamite
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- Sinners
- Weapons
💄 Make-Up & Hair
- Bugonia
- Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- Nuremberg
- One Battle After Another
- Sinners
- The Smashing Machine
- Wicked: For Good
🎼 Original Score
- 28 Years Later
- The Ballad of Wallis Island
- Bugonia
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- Nuremberg
- One Battle After Another
- Sinners
- Wicked: For Good
🏗️ Production Design
- Ballad of a Small Player
- Bugonia
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- Mickey 17
- One Battle After Another
- Sinners
- Wicked: For Good
💥 Special Visual Effects
- Avatar: Fire and Ash
- F1
- Frankenstein
- How to Train Your Dragon
- Jurassic World Rebirth
- The Lost Bus
- Mickey 17
- Superman
- Tron: Ares
- Wicked: For Good
🔊 Sound
- Avatar: Fire and Ash
- Bugonia
- F1
- Frankenstein
- The Lost Bus
- Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
- One Battle After Another
- Sinners
- Warfare
- Wicked: For Good
🎨 British Short Animation
- Brain Space
- Cardboard
- Death’s Peak
- Ovary-Acting
- Solstice
- Two Black Boys in Paradise
🎞️ British Short Film
- 22+1
- Blondi
- Magid / Zafar
- Neil Armstrong and the Langholmites
- Nostalgie
- The Pearl Comb
- Terence
- This Is Endometriosis
- Welcome Home Freckles
- Wonderwall
What These Longlists Tell Us
BAFTA’s 2026 longlists suggest a year where director-driven cinema is firmly in control, with auteurs like Paul Thomas Anderson, Chloé Zhao, Ryan Coogler, Yorgos Lanthimos, and Guillermo del Toro shaping the awards conversation. Genre films—particularly Sinners and Frankenstein—are no longer sitting on the sidelines, while performance-heavy dramas continue to thrive.
The next phase of voting will determine the final nominations between January 9 and January 20, ahead of the ceremony on February 22 at London’s Royal Festival Hall, hosted by Alan Cumming.
Final Words
With strong early momentum behind One Battle After Another, Hamnet, and Sinners, BAFTA 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most competitive and creatively diverse awards seasons in recent years. As nominations approach, expect shifting narratives—but for now, these longlists clearly mark the films and performances everyone will be watching.
