Awards season is officially in full swing, and the spotlight is now on the 79th edition of the British Academy Film Awards, better known as BAFTA 2026. From big nominations to glamorous Red carpet movements this years ceremony promises to be one of the most exciting yet specially for Indian fans as, Alia Bhatt is set to present in award on the global stage.
The awards will take place on February 22 at London’s Royal Festival Hall. The ceremony is organised by the British Academy of Film and television Arts and will be hosted by Alan cumming for the first time.
For Indian viewers the ceremony will be streamed live on Sony LIV and also on BAFTA’S official YouTube channel. The event begins at 7:00 PM GMT in London which means fans in India can tune in around 12:30 am IST on February 23. Yes, it’s a late night watch but definitely worth it.
One of the biggest highlights for Indian audiences is Alia Bhatt’s presence at the ceremony. The Bollywood star will take the stage as a presenter, marking another proud international movement for her. Over the years Alia has built a strong global presence and her appearance at BAFTA 2026 only adds to that journey.
Apart from Alia several international stars will present awards including Alicia Vikander, Cillian Murphy, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Hudson, Riz Ahmed and Gillian Anderson and many others.
The ceremony will also feature a special performance of Golden from Kpop Demon Hunters, sung by Jae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami. Singer Jessie Ware will perform a tribute during the In Memoriam segment covering a song by Barbra Streisand.
This year, Paul Thomas Anderson’s political satire One Battle After Another leads the race with 14 nominations. It is nominated in major categories like Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay. Interestingly, the film now has the second highest nominations in BAFTA history after Gandhi (1983).
Close behind is Sinners, directed by Ryan coogler with 13 nominations, the highest ever for a film directed by a black filmmaker in BAFTA history. Michael B. Jordan is nominated for best Actor for his role in the film.
Other films like Hamnet and Marty Supreme have received 11 nominations each, while Frankenstein and Sentimental Value earned eight nominations. I Swear secured five nominations.In the Leading Actress category nominees include Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue) and Emma Stone (Bugonia) among others.For Leading Actor the nominees include Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Timothee Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon) and Michael B. Jordan (Sinners).The Supporting categories also feature strong names like Carey Mulligan, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro, Jacob Elordi and Stellan Skarsgard.
With strong nominations, global stars, special performances and Alia Bhatt representing India, BAFTA 2026 is shaping up to be a grand celebration of cinema.
so set your alarms, it’s going to be a long but exciting night for movie lovers