The 2026 BAFTA Film Awards: Who’s In and Who’s Out?

Award Season is moving ahead full steam! This morning the nominees for the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards were announced and while there aren’t any major surprises, there are certainly a few films that look to collect more gold before the end of the season. This time around ‘One Battle After Another’ leads the pack with 14 nominations with ‘Sinners’ following closely on it’s heels with 13. Other notable nominations include ‘Hamnet’ and ‘Marty Supreme,’ who both received 11 nominations as well as ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Sentimental Value’ with both taking home 8 nominations.

What stands out the most about the BAFTAs as a major award ceremony is how much they make it their own. The have categories that specifically honor British Films. Many of those films don’t have as many eyes on them as a film that comes out of the United States. The BAFTAs provide an opportunity to highlight those films.

While I’ve seen many of the films nominated, there are a number that I have yet to see, and honestly, that’s one of my favorite parts of awards season: the catching up on things I’ve missed. The BAFTA nominations may mean an end to the chaos of nomination announcements, but they also feel like the season is just getting started.

The 2026 BAFTA Film Awards will air LIVE Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 7pm EST/4pm PST
Hosted by Alan Cumming
Airing on BBC One

I’ve always enjoyed the BAFTAs and the British take on the award show. So to say the least, I am extremely excited for the show!

Congratulations to all of the nominees and best of luck at the show!

A Few Newcomers!

While most of the films nominated have received a number of nominations across the various awards shows, the BAFTAs have recognized a number of nominees that have yet to receive a nomination. A couple of these nominations are LONG overdue this season.

‘Bugonia’ is classic Yorgos Lanthimos, weird and mindbending. While Lanthimos’ previous work ‘Poor Things’ saw a number of nominations for its year, ‘Bugonia’ has only gotten moderate attention. Emma Stone has consistently received a nomination for Best Actress and the Score has also seen multiple nominations.

The BAFTAs have changed all of that.

Lanthimos has received a nomination for Directing while Lead Actor, Jesse Plemons, finally finds himself with a well deserved nomination. Plemons was eclectic and eccentric in his role as conspiracy theorist pushed to action, Teddy. With his ability to pull quirky out of literally nowhere, Plemons has more than earned his nomination.

Yorgos Lanthimos has more than earned his nomination as well. ‘Bugonia’ was an absolutely gorgeous film that has a much bigger message if you look for it. The film was weird and quirky, mind bending and grounding. ‘Bugonia’ is pure unaduletrated Lanthimos. His nomination is well earned and deserved.

Michael B. Jordan and Michael B. Jordan in ‘Sinners.’ Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Who Got The Snub?

As with all award’s shows, not everyone gets to be the belle of the ball. Many are left out wondering what more they could’ve done to earn that nomination. Snubs are for sure the most debated topic during the season and for good reason. Everyone wants to see their favorite performers take home a trophy.

The most glaring ommission, which I was hoping would carry over from the Oscar nominations, is the nomination for the incredible, never duplicated, Delroy Lindo. Lindo received the first Oscar nomination of his career this year for his role in Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners.’ He was breathtaking in his role as Delta Slim.

While not TECHNICALLY a snub, the lack of love for ‘Wicked: For Good’ carries over from the previous awards announcements. ‘Wicked: For Good’ snagged a nomination for Costume Design, but appears in no other major category. This is a major drop off for a film that was supposed to sweep the Awards Shows this year.

Delroy Lindo in ‘Sinners.’ Courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures.

Though we didn’t receive too many surprises from this round of nominations, the BAFTAs will surely be a ceremony you won’t want to miss. The performances and the overall quality of films that were released in 2025 will undoubtedly continue to reward us as we continue our journey through this year’s awards season.

What are YOUR thoughts?

Who got nominated that YOU think shouldn’t?

Who do you think got snubbed?

Leave your comments here and let us know over at the official Nerd Initiative Social Media pages as well as my own! There will surely be plenty to discuss!