Irish power takes over BAFTAs as Buckley and Mescal score major nods

BAFTA announced the nominations for the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards at a live broadcast from its headquarters this afternoon, with a total of 46 films recognised across the categories.

Among the headline-grabbing performances are Buckley and Mescal, continuing an extraordinary run for their critically acclaimed film "Hamnet".

Killarney native Jessie Buckley adds to her growing list of accolades with a BAFTA nomination for Best Leading Actress. Buckley, who is also a former BAFTA Breakthrough and EE Rising Star nominee, features among a strong cohort of acting contenders this year.

Paul Mescal, meanwhile, continues his ascent as one of the most in-demand actors working today, earning a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as William Shakespeare.

Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare in "Hamnet".

The Maynooth actor’s presence among the nominees underscores what has been another banner year for Irish acting talent internationally.

Coleraine-born "Hamnet" author Maggie O’Farrell has been shortlisted for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as director Chloé Zhao for their work on the big-screen adaptation of the bestselling novel.

Netflix drama "Steve" starring and produced by Ireland’s own Cillian Murphy, is also nominated for Outstanding British Film.

Cillian Murphy in "Steve".

Ireland’s Richard Baneham, already a double BAFTA and Oscar winner, is among the team shortlisted for their work on "Avatar: Fire and Ash".

"A Want in Her", the acclaimed documentary from Donegal writer-director Myrid Carten, was also nominated for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer.

The nominations were revealed by actors Aimee Lou Wood and David Jonsson, as BAFTA confirmed that films ranging from intimate indies to major blockbusters are represented across the board.

Leading the pack is "One Battle After Another" with 14 nominations, followed closely by "Sinners" with 13, while Hamnet and "Marty Supreme" each picked up 11 nominations.

Several notable milestones also emerged from this year’s announcement.

Eight performers received their first-ever BAFTA Film nominations, while six former and current EE Rising Stars — including Buckley — feature among the nominees. In the directing categories, Ryan Coogler and Josh Safdie earned their first BAFTA directing nods.

BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip praised the ‘bold storytelling and exquisite craft’ on display this year, while Chair Sara Putt highlighted the strength of British independent film alongside global box-office successes.

The 79th EE BAFTA Film Awards will take place on Sunday 22 February at London’s Royal Festival Hall, hosted by Alan Cumming, and broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with full red-carpet coverage across BAFTA’s social channels.

Check out the full list of nominees below:

Best film

"Hamnet"

"Marty Supreme"

"One Battle After Another"

"Sentimental Value"

"Sinners"

Outstanding British film

"28 Years Later"

"The Ballad of Wallis Island"

"Bridget Jones: Mad about the Boy"

"Die My Love"

"H Is For Hawk"

"Hamnet"

"I Swear"

"Mr Burton"

"Pillion"

"Steve"

Leading actress

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"

Leading actor

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"

Supporting actress

Odessa A’zion – "Marty Supreme"

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – "Sentimental Value"

Wunmi Mosaku – "Sinners"

Carey Mulligan – "The Ballad of Wallis Island"

Teyana Taylor – "One Battle After Another"

Emily Watson – "Hamnet"

Supporting actor

Benicio del Toro – "One Battle After Another"

Jacob Elordi – "Frankenstein"

Paul Mescal – "Hamnet"

Peter Mullan – "I Swear"

Sean Penn – "One Battle After Another"

Stellan Skarsgård – "Sentimental Value"

Director

"Bugonia" – Yorgos Lanthimos

"Hamnet" – Chloé Zhao

"Marty Supreme" – Josh Safdie

"One Battle After Another" – Paul Thomas Anderson

"Sentimental Value" – Joachim Trier

"Sinners" – Ryan Coogler

Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer

"The Ceremony"

"My Father’s Shadow"

"Pillion"

"A Want In Her"

"Wasteman"

Film not in the English language

"It Was Just An Accident"

"The Secret Agent"

"Sentimental Value"

"Sirât"

"The Voice of Hind Rajab"

Documentary

"2000 Meters to Andriivka"

"Apocalypse in the Tropics"

"Cover-Up"

"Mr Nobody Against Putin"

"The Perfect Neighbor"

Animated film

"Elio"

"Little Amélie"

"Zootropolis 2"

"Cardboard"

"Solstice"

"Two Black Boys in Paradise"

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.

Irish power takes over BAFTAs as Buckley and Mescal score major nods

Irish talent is firmly in the spotlight this awards season, with Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal emerging as two of the most talked-about names following the BAFTA Film Award nominations.

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