February 23, (THEWILL) — The 79th British Academy Film Awards were held on Sunday, February 22, at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
Hosted by Alan Cumming, the ceremony honoured the best films released in 2025 and recognised achievements across acting, directing and technical categories.
The biggest winner of the night was Paul Thomas Anderson’s political thriller ‘One Battle After Another’, which took home six major awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Editing.
British-Nigerian actress, Wunmi Mosaku, won Best Supporting Actress for her performance in ‘Sinners’. The film earned three awards in total, including Best Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler and Best Original Score.
Another key moment came when brothers, Akinola Davies Jr. and Wale Davies, won Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for ‘My Father’s Shadow’. The Nigerian-set drama gained international attention after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2025. Set in Lagos during the 1993 election crisis, the film follows a father and his two sons as they navigate a tense political period.
Other notable winners included ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘I Swear’, which won three awards each, while ‘Hamnet’ took home two awards.
Among those in attendance were Prince William, President of BAFTA, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, marking their return to the ceremony after missing last year’s event.
Full List of Winners
· Best Film: One Battle After Another
· Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
· Best Leading Actor: Robert Aramayo – I Swear
· Best Leading Actress: Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
· Best Supporting Actor: Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
· Best Supporting Actress: Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
· Best Original Screenplay: Sinners – Ryan Coogler
· Best Adapted Screenplay: One Battle After Another
· Outstanding British Film: Hamnet
· Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer: My Father’s Shadow – Akinola Davies Jr. & Wale Davies
· EE Rising Star Award: Robert Aramayo
· Best Film Not in the English Language: Sentimental Value
· Best Animated Film: Zootropolis 2
· Children’s & Family Film: Boong
· Best Documentary: Mr. Nobody Against Putin
· Best Sound: F1
· Special Visual Effects: Avatar: Fire and Ash
· Production Design: Frankenstein
· Make-up & Hair: Frankenstein
· Costume Design: Frankenstein
· Editing: One Battle After Another
· Casting: I Swear
· British Short Film: This Is Endometriosis
· British Short Animation: Two Black Boys in Paradise
· BAFTA Fellowship: Donna Langley
· Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema: Clare Binns
Evi Ben Ezaga writes on entertainment, culture, and trending stories.
