Nigerian talent made a strong impression at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), as Nigerian actress Wunmi Mosaku and the Nigerian-made film My Father’s Shadow won major awards at the ceremony held at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
Wunmi Mosaku won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Sinners. This is not her first BAFTA win. She earlier won the same award in 2017 for Damilola, Our Loved Boy. Her latest win shows her steady growth and success on the global film stage.
The film My Father’s Shadow, directed by Nigerian brothers Akinola Davies Jr. and Wale Davies, won Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer. The movie tells the story of a father and his two sons moving through Lagos during the tense 1993 Nigerian election crisis. The film has gained international attention and was also shown at the Cannes Film Festival, where it received praise.
The BAFTA ceremony was hosted by Alan Cumming and celebrated the best films of 2025. The biggest winner of the night was One Battle After Another, which won six awards, including Best Film and Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson.
Other major winners included Jessie Buckley for Best Actress for Hamnet, Robert Aramayo for Best Actor for I Swear, and Sean Penn for Best Supporting Actor.
These wins clearly show that Nigerian stories and talents are gaining more recognition around the world.
2026 BAFTA Winners (Summary)
Best Film
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- WINNER: One Battle After Another
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
Best Director
- Yorgos Lanthimos – Bugonia
- Chloé Zhao – Hamnet
- Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
- WINNER: Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
- Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
- Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Best Actor
- WINNER: Robert Aramayo – I Swear
- Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
- Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
- Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
- Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
- Jesse Plemons – Bugonia
Best Actress
- WINNER: Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
- Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
- Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue
- Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
- Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
- Emma Stone – Bugonia
Best Supporting Actor
- Paul Mescal – Hamnet
- Peter Mullan – I Swear
- WINNER: Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
- Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
- Benicio Del Toro – One Battle After Another
- Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Best Supporting Actress
- Odessa A’zion – Marty Supreme
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
- WINNER: Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
- Carey Mulligan – The Ballad of Wallis Island
- Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
- Emily Watson – Hamnet
Best Animated Film
- Elio
- Little Amélie
- WINNER: Zootopia 2
Best Children’s & Family Film
- Arco
- WINNER: Boong
- Lilo & Stitch
- Zootopia 2
Best Editing
- A House of Dynamite
- F1
- Marty Supreme
- WINNER: One Battle After Another
- Sinners
Best Casting
- WINNER: I Swear
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
Best Cinematography
- Frankenstein
- Marty Supreme
- WINNER: One Battle After Another
- Sinners
- Train Dreams
Best Production Design
- WINNER: Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- Sinners
Best Sound
- WINNER: F1
- Frankenstein
- One Battle After Another
- Sinners
- Warfare
Best Special Visual Effects
- WINNER: Avatar: Fire and Ash
- F1
- Frankenstein
- How to Train Your Dragon
- The Lost Bus
Best Costume Design
- WINNER: Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- Sinners
- Wicked: For Good
Best Makeup and Hair
- WINNER: Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- Sinners
- Wicked: For Good
Best Original Score
- Hamnet
- One Battle After Another
- WINNER: Sinners
- Bugonia
- Frankenstein
Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema
- WINNER: Clare Binns
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer
- Pillion
- The Ceremony
- Wasteman
- A Want in Her
- WINNER: My Father’s Shadow
Best British Short Animation
- Cardboard
- Solstice
- WINNER: Two Black Boys in Paradise
Best British Short Film
- Welcome Home Freckles
- Magid / Zafar
- Nostalgie
- Terence
- WINNER: This Is Endometriosis
EE Rising Star Award
- WINNER: Robert Aramayo
- Miles Caton
- Chase Infiniti
- Archie Madekwe
- Posy Sterling