Who Will Take Home BAFTA 2026 for Director and Supporting Actress?
With the 2026 BAFTA nominations announced, the spotlight is on the diverse range of films and performances recognized this year.
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2026-01-28 15:40 GMT
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts announced the nominations for the 2026 edition of the BAFTAs on 27 January 2026. There are many notable contenders across this year’s categories, with Warner Bros. leading the pack. “One Battle After Another,” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, leads with a record 14 nominations, followed closely by “Sinners,” directed by Ryan Coogler, with 13 nominations.
Best Director – Nominees
“Bugonia” — Yorgos Lanthimos
“Hamnet” — Chloé Zhao
“Marty Supreme” — Josh Safdie
“Sentimental Value” — Joachim Trier
“Sinners” — Ryan Coogler
The Best Director category features a highly competitive lineup this year, comprising some of the most prominent contemporary auteur filmmakers working today. Joachim Trier and Josh Safdie receive their first-ever nominations in this category. Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Bugonia,” a remake of a 2003 South Korean film, has emerged as a surprise inclusion, having generated relatively limited buzz among critics, positioning it as an underdog in the 2026 awards slate. Ari Aster’s “Eddington,” meanwhile, has failed to register within the awards circuit this season.
All of the films nominated in this category belong to the drama genre, with the exception of “Sinners,” which stands out as a genre-bending vampire horror film drawing stylistic parallels to “From Dusk Till Dawn.” “One Battle After Another” and “Hamnet” are the only nominated films that are adaptations of existing literary works.
Paul Thomas Anderson enters the race with significant momentum for his work on “One Battle After Another,” a film that received widespread critical acclaim for its bold engagement with politically charged themes. The film layers its narrative with satirical elements drawn from Thomas Pynchon’s “Vineland,” itself a critique of American counterculture and right-wing ideology. Anderson was previously honored with the BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay in 2022 for “Licorice Pizza.”
Among the year’s nominated films, “One Battle After Another” features one of the most talked-about sequences of the season: the “River of Hills” sequence. The scene unfolds as an extended, high-intensity car chase along an undulating highway, involving protagonist Willa (played by Chase Infiniti) and antagonist Steven Lockjaw (played by Sean Penn). Shot in VistaVision and underscored by Jonny Greenwood’s score, the sequence has been widely cited as one of the film’s most technically accomplished and memorable moments.
Based on awards momentum and critical reception, Paul Thomas Anderson is currently the frontrunner in this category, having secured major precursor wins including the Golden Globe, Critics Choice Award, National Board of Review, and multiple regional Film Critics Association honors, including Los Angeles, Boston, and Chicago. Prediction markets such as Kalshi currently project an 88% probability of Anderson winning the 2026 BAFTA for Best Director.
Best Supporting Actress – Nominees
“Odessa A’zion” — “Marty Supreme”
“Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas” — “Sentimental Value”
“Wunmi Mosaku” — “Sinners”
“Carey Mulligan” — “The Ballad of Wallis Island”
“Teyana Taylor” — “One Battle After Another”
“Emily Watson” — “Hamnet”
The Supporting Actress category presents a mixed field this year. Odessa A’zion, Wunmi Mosaku, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas receive their first BAFTA nominations, marking a strong showing for emerging and international talent. Notably absent from the lineup are performances that received recognition from other major awards bodies, including Amy Madigan’s role as Aunt Gladys in “Weapons,” which earned nominations at both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards.
Among the nominees, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas’s performance as Agnes Borg in “Sentimental Value” has been widely praised for its restraint and emotional depth, leaving a lasting impression despite its subtlety. Teyana Taylor has also emerged as a strong contender, having received significant recognition at the Golden Globes for her role in “One Battle After Another,” despite a comparatively brief screen presence.
Based on awards momentum and critical reception, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas is currently considered the frontrunner in this category, with predictions favoring her for the 2026 BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress.
The article has been authored by Yoga Adithya, an intern at Deccan Chronicle