One Battle After Another Dominates BAFTAs, Wins Six to Seven Trophies; Paul Thomas Anderson Claims Best Director and Best Picture

Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another dominated the 79th EE BAFTA Film Awards in London on Feb. 22.

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9News.au

Multiple outlets reported a six‑award haul for the film, including Best Film (Best Picture) and Best Director for Anderson.

9News.au

Coverage described the film variously as a 'political action thriller,' 'political thriller,' 'offbeat thriller,' and 'political black‑humored thriller.'

All outlets noted its sweep of top prizes and technical honours, positioning it as a leading contender heading into the Oscars.

Anderson’s acceptance lines were widely reported, with artthreat.net noting he urged colleagues to 'Let’s keep making movies without fear.'

The Plunge Daily and 아시아경제 recorded him quoting Nina Simone about freedom in his speech.

Reported award specifics repeatedly list Best Film and Best Director among the top victories.

Several outlets add technical wins, with Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography and Editing singled out by artthreat.net, The Lagos Review and blue News.

Al Jazeera

Sean Penn was widely reported to have taken Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film.

Outlets contradict each other on nomination counts: 아시아경제 and Outlook India note the film had 14 nominations, while blue News refers to 13 Oscar nominations.

ANI News and The Plunge Daily emphasize the politically charged nature of the movie in their descriptions.

While One Battle After Another was the headline story, coverage also highlighted other major winners.

“ANI |Updated:Feb 23, 2026 05:40IST London [UK], February 23 (ANI): As the curtains came down on Sunday night at London's Royal Festival Hall, the BAFTA Film Awards delivered drama, history, and a few gasp-worthy moments, with One Battle After Another,Sinners, and I Swear emerging as some of the biggest winners of the event”

ANI News

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners won three awards including Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Wunmi Mosaku.

Some outlets, such as The Lagos Review, emphasized Coogler’s Best Original Screenplay win as "making Coogler the first Black filmmaker to win that prize."

ANI News framed Sinners’ haul as the most BAFTAs ever for a film by a Black filmmaker.

Robert Aramayo’s unexpected Best Actor win for I Swear, coupled with the EE Rising Star Award, was widely described as a surprise moment.

The ceremony drew routine awards-season commentary and a few distinct reporting angles.

Several outlets framed the BAFTAs as an Oscars bellwether, noting the timing ahead of the Academy Awards and the momentum One Battle After Another now carries.

blue News

blue News and Outlook India reported on notable attendees and the host, with blue News mentioning the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Outlook India naming Alan Cumming as host.

Other coverage highlighted the film's political subject matter and described the movie as a dark comedy or black-humored piece, showing variance in narrative focus across regions and outlet types.