BAFTA Nominations 2026: Sinners and One Battle After Another Lead the Pack
The BAFTA Film awards are one of the most important and viewed film award shows that happen every year
Be it Ryan Coogler’s socio-cultural horror musical (Sinners), be it P.T Anderson’s black comedy action thriller (One Battle After Another), Yorgos Lanthimos’ Sci-fi comedy (Bugonia), or even Josh Safdie’s sports drama (Marty Supreme) this time the BAFTA nominations go on a thrill ride as various equally masterfully made and acclaimed films lead the film nominations, with Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and P.T Anderson’s One Battle After The Another leading the nominations.
The BAFTA Film awards are one of the most important and viewed film award shows that happen every year. The BAFTA Film awards have been considered equivalent to that of the academy awards. The first BAFTA award ceremony was held in 1949, since 2001 the ceremony usually takes place every year in February.
In February 2025, British political drama Conclave won the best film award. 2024 was considered a dull year for cinema, especially Hollywood. It was showcased on the poor box office performances of major films and the lack of interest towards cinema shown by the audience, and also on the lack of viewership of academy award shows. (viewership of academy awards went down by 7 percent).
But 2025 was relatively far better off for Hollywood and this can be seen as there is far more social media buzz and excitement for the various film nominations. There is immense excitement that people have about who's going to win the ‘Best Film’ award this year.
Two films in particular have stood out this year: Ryan Coogler’s vampire musical (Sinners) and P T Anderson’s black comedy (One Battle After Another) . Both films Sinners and one battle after another are at a tussle for getting maximum nominations. Sinners already received 13 and One Battle After Another, 14 nominations.
Sinners starring Michael B Jordan, is a character driven horror musical that emerged as a box office blockbuster in the summer of 2025. The film was appreciated for its deeply layered theme and narratives, multiple characters and sub plots, cinematography and of course, the swinging blues music that made a perfect vampire horror summer blockbuster. Set in 1932 Mississippi, the film features two Chicago based gangsters Smoke and Stack , both coming back to their re-uniting with their families and loved ones. They plan to open a juke club wherein members of their community can come and express themselves, primarily through jazz. The film gives a lot of emphasis on blues music , showcasing it is a cultural product of the African American community . The character of Delta Slim (played by Delroy Lindo) has a dialogue ““Blues wasn't forced on us like that religion. Nah, son, we brought this with us from home. It's magic, what we do. It's sacred, and big.” The film clearly was a commentary on black identity in America, colonization and the very idea of what Afro-American culture is. Apart from the obvious socio-political commentary the film has perhaps one of the best soundtracks in recent times by Ludwig Goransson. Be it scenic cinematography by Autumn Durald Arkapaw or intricate detailing of production design or even memorable performances by Michael b Jordan, Hailee Steinfield or Miles Caton, Sinners is a perfect blockbuster that deserved all the love and 13 nominations at BAFTA.
The other film that I believe is a strong contender for best film is P.T Anderson’s epic action drama ‘One Battle After the Another.’ Starring Leonardo Di Caprio, this film is a loose adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s ‘Vineland’ , this film was an edge of the seat thriller. The film offered memorable performances by Leonardo Di Caprio as a timid protagonist, Sean Penn playing a white supremacist and Teyana Taylor as an extreme left mother. These performances along with the beautifully crafted screenplay and direction by P.T Anderson, the film truly is one of the best films of 2025 in every aspect. The film is a strong commentary on modern day American politics and very relevant towards modern day events as it showcases rise in white supremacy and violence of the ICE security force, which is happening in the United States as we speak. Despite it having an underwhelming box office performance, the film was lauded and well received by critics and many cinephiles.
Although there are other strong contenders such as Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value and Hamnet. I predict that the best film awards are gonna go to either Sinners or One battle After The Other due to its politically relevant themes, strong performances by reputed actors, well crafted screenplay and of course already well established directors who were the minds behind both these movies.
The author, Sathvik, is an intern with DC from Loyola Academy, Hyderabad
