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'One Battle After Another' Wins BAFTA Best Film, Eyes Oscar Glory

The film 'One Battle After Another' claimed the top prize of Best Film at the 79th BAFTA Awards, solidifying its frontrunner status for the upcoming Oscars. The Paul Thomas Anderson-directed thriller, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, won a total of six BAFTA awards, including Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Anderson emotionally dedicated his Best Director win to his late assistant director and producer, Adam Somner. The film's victory adds to its impressive haul from other major award shows this season, including the Golden Globes and Critics' Choice Awards.

Key Points: BAFTA 2026: 'One Battle After Another' Wins Best Film

  • Won BAFTA Best Film
  • Took home six awards total
  • Won major precursor awards
  • Based on Thomas Pynchon novel
  • Dedicated to late producer Adam Somner
2 min read

BAFTA 2026: 'One Battle After Another' wins Best Film to raise it's hopes ahead of 98th Oscar Awards

Leonardo DiCaprio's 'One Battle After Another' wins Best Film at BAFTA 2026, taking six awards and boosting its Oscar hopes.

"You may think that your greatest export is Alfred Hitchcock or Charlie Chaplin, but it wasn't. To me, it was Adam Somner. - Paul Thomas Anderson"

London, February 23

Leonardo DiCaprio starrer and Paul Thomas Anderson directorial 'One Battle After Another' is now it's way to Oscar with a grand win at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts 2026.

The movie has won the 'Best Film' honour at the 79th edition of BAFTA. Leonardo, Paul and the other cast members recieved the award at the event. With this, the film took home six prizes, including best director for Paul Thomas Anderson.

'One Battle After Another' is loosely based on the 1990 novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon. The thriller centres on a group of former revolutionaries who reunite after 16 years to confront an enemy that has re-emerged. DiCaprio plays Bob Ferguson, with Regina Hall co-starring as Deandra.

Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, 'One Battle After Another' features a starry supporting cast including Benicio del Toro, Teyana Taylor and Sean Penn.

Along with this, 'One Battle After Another' has bagged the Best Film awards at Critics' Choice Awards 2026, Directors Guild of America Awards 2026, Golden Globes 2026, Gotham Awards 2025 and many other prestigious award shows which took place in 2025 and early parts of this year.

Earlier in the night (UK Time), Paul Thomas Anderson bagged the Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography awards at the BAFTA 2026. He dedicated his Best Director award to the late producer and assistant director Brit Adam Somner.

"You may think that your greatest export is Alfred Hitchcock or Charlie Chaplin, but it wasn't. To me, it was Adam Somner, who was my assistant director and producer for about 20 years. He came over to America, and the line was out the door of people who wanted to work with him because he made us all better," said Anderson as quoted by Variety.

Anderson continued: "About three weeks into our film, he found out he was sick, and he made it through production. If you've ever gone to work before with someone who's very ill, there's something miraculous that makes you pay attention and reminds you of the privilege of the work that we do. So thank you for sending him to me," as quoted by Variety.

The BAFTA 2026 streamed on Lionsgate Play.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

A
Arjun K
Great to see a film with such depth winning. The Indian film industry can learn a lot from this kind of storytelling - it's not just about spectacle but about human connections and history. Hope it streams here soon!
R
Rohit P
Another Hollywood awards season, another round of self-congratulation. Don't get me wrong, the film looks good, but it's the same faces and studios winning every year. Where's the diversity in stories? Our own regional cinema does more innovative work with a fraction of the budget.
S
Sarah B
Anderson's speech about Adam Somner was genuinely touching. It's a reminder that behind every great film is a team of dedicated people. Wishing the film all the best for the Oscars!
V
Vikram M
Six awards at BAFTA is no joke! The competition must have been tough. Leo is a global star, but it's nice to see the director and the crew getting their due credit. The adapted screenplay win is particularly impressive.
K
Kavya N
Sounds like a powerful film about legacy and confronting the past. The theme of former revolutionaries reuniting is very relevant everywhere. Hope Lionsgate Play brings it to India quickly! 🤞

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