Hamnet makes history: Chloe Zhao movie breaks record for the most BAFTA nominations for a female-directed film

Hamnet made history on Tuesday as the movie from Chloe Zhao broke the record for the most BAFTA nominations for a female-directed film ever.

The Chinese filmmaker's project was nominated for 11 awards overall including for Best Film, Outstanding British Film and Best Director for Zhao, 43.

Other nominations come in the following categories: Best Leading actress for Jessie Buckley, Best Supporting actress for Emily Watson, Best Supporting Actor for Paul Mescal, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Costume Design and Editing.

The five movies up for Best Film are Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sinners and Sentimental Value.

Hamnet is Zhao's adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's award-winning novel about the family life of William Shakespeare.

The winners will be announced on Sunday February 22 at the EE BAFTA Film Awards ceremony, which will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. 

Irish star Jessie is adding to her awards season roster with a nod for her lead role in the film after already scoring a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice Award and nominations for the Academy Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards earlier this month. 

Her co-star Paul was snubbed at the Oscar nominations but he has earned a Supporting Actor BAFTA nod, competing against Benicio Del Toro for One Battle After Another; Jacob Elordi for Frankenstein; Petter Mullan for I Swear; Sean Penn for One Battle After Another and Stellan Skarsgard for Sentimental Value.  

The 2026 BAFTA nominations were announced by 2025 Rising Star nominee David Jonsson and Aimee Lou Wood on Tuesday. 

Days after its success at the Academy Award nominations, One Battle After Another earned the most nods with 14, including one for lead star Leonardo DiCaprio. 

Sinners is just behind with 13 nods whilst Marty Supreme and Hamnet scored eleven each. 

Frankenstein and Sentimental Value each earned eight whilst there was five nominations for I Swear and Bugonia and three nominations for The Ballad of Wallis Island, Pillion and F1.

Aside from Jessie, also vying for the Leading Actress BAFTA are Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs I'd Kick You; Kate Hudson for Song Sung Blue; Chase Infiniti for One Battle After Another; Renate Reinsve for Sentimental Value and Emma Stone for Bugonia.

Leonardo DiCaprio could earn his second ever BAFTA after scoring his seventh nomination, this year for his Leading Actor performance in the already heavily decorated movie One Battle After Another.

The star goes head to head with his 2026 awards season foe Timothee Chalamet for Marty Supreme as well as Robert Aramayo for I Swear, Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon, Michael B Jordan for Sinners and Jesse Plemons for Bugonia. 

There's hopes for a British win in the Supporting Actress field as Nigerian-British Sinners star Wunmi Mosaku competes alongside Carey Mulligan for The Ballad Of Wallis Island and Emily for Hamnet.

Rounding out that category is Odessa A'Zion for Marty Supreme, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for Sentimental Value and Teyana Taylor for One Battle After Another.

First time nominees in the performance categories who have received their first BAFTA Film nomination are; Robert Aramayo, Odessa A'zion, Rose Byrne, Chase Infiniti, Michael B. Jordan, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Stellan Skarsgård, and Teyana Taylor.

Meanwhile in the Best Director category, two of the six directors are first-time nominees - Ryan Coogler for Sinners  and Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme.

Coogler's success with Sinners in the BAFTA nominations comes a week after his movie earned the most Academy Awards nominations ever with 16 including biggest prize of the night Best Picture. 

It has broken the Oscars record previously shared by 1950's All About Eve, 1997's Titanic and 2016's La La Land of 14 nominations.

Meanwhile One Battle After Another - Paul Thomas Anderson's film about a washed-up revolutionary searching for his missing teenage daughter - has 13 Oscar nominations.

At the BAFTAs the Leo-led movie has earned nods in all four of the acting categories with double hopes for success in Supporting Actor thanks to Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro.

Anderson has scored a Director nomination, whilst the movie also has nods in the Adapted Screenplay, Casting, Cinematography, Editing, Original Score, Production Design and Sound categories.

Sinners' second place in the BAFTA nominations tally isn't the only notable difference between these nods and those for the Oscars.  

Wicked: For Good has been shut out at the Oscars, but it managed two nominations at the BAFTAs, for costume design and make-up and hair.

In contrast though, Brazilian thriller The Secret Agent also has two nominations - half the number it received at the Oscars, where it managed nods in major categories including best actor and best picture.

K-pop Demon Hunters missed out altogether thanks to Netflix choosing to stream the movie in the UK before showing it in cinemas, going against BAFTA rules.

The nominees for the EE BAFTA Rising Star Award were announced earlier this month.

Archie Madekwe (Lurker), Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another), Miles Caton (Sinners), Posy Sterling (Lollipop) and Robert Aramayo (I Swear) were revealed as the nominees for the 2026 prize at a press conference at London's Savoy Hotel on January 14.

The nominees were chosen by a panel of industry jurors including actors Joe Alwyn, Sheila Atim and Benedict Wong alongside a host of distinguished industry experts.

The prestigious EE Rising Star Award is the only prize at the EE BAFTA Film Awards voted for by the British public.

Previous Rising Star winners include David Jonsson, Mia, Emma Mackey, Kristen Stewart, Eva Green, Lashana Lynch, Letitia Wright, James McAvoy, Daniel Kaluuya, John Boyega, and Tom Hardy.

221 films were submitted for consideration by the BAFTA judges and 82 made the longlist before being whittled down for the shortlist. 

Jane Millichip, CEO of BAFTA, said: 'Huge congratulations to the teams behind the 46 superb films nominated today. They showcase the very best of storytelling and its ability to engage, entertain and provoke debate.'

'This year's nominated films are full of bold storytelling and exquisite craft. And the breadth of narrative, genres and styles is spellbinding.'

'Whether newcomers or veterans, I hope our first-time nominees enjoy this much deserved spotlight, and I look forward to welcoming them and all our returning nominees to London.'

'As the UK's leading arts charity and academy, it's a real privilegeto showcase this year's brilliant films and the talent in the 79th EE BAFTA Film Awards, which will be broadcast on BBC, BBC iPlayer, and across the world on 22 February.'

Alan Cumming will host the Bafta Film Awards in London on Sunday 22 February.