While One Battle After Another dominated the 79th British Academy Film Awards in London, the 2026 BAFTAs will also be remembered for two historic milestones that signal a broader shift in global film recognition.
Ryan Coogler became the first Black winner of the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay, and Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value became the first Norwegian film ever to win a BAFTA, marking a defining moment for both representation and international cinema at the U.K.’s most prestigious film ceremony.
Coogler’s win for Sinners was not merely a category victory — it represented a structural breakthrough in BAFTA history. Despite decades of awards recognizing global talent, no Black filmmaker had previously won in the Original Screenplay category. Coogler’s script, blending genre storytelling with layered emotional and thematic depth, secured the award in a competitive field and further cemented his influence within contemporary cinema.
Sinners entered the ceremony with 13 nominations, already setting a record for the most BAFTA nominations received by a film from a Black director. By the end of the night, the film had won three awards: Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress for Wunmi Mosaku, and Best Original Score for Ludwig Göransson.
Ryan Coogler accepts the BAFTA for Original Score for Sinners on behalf of Ludwig Göransson🎼#EEBAFTAs pic.twitter.com/NwGRR0GLjR
— BAFTA (@BAFTA) February 22, 2026
In his acceptance speech, Coogler emphasized empathy and emotional truth in writing, encouraging fellow storytellers to draw inspiration from love and human connection. His win underscores a broader trend within BAFTA toward recognizing genre-inflected storytelling that blends commercial appeal with thematic resonance.
Historically, the Best Original Screenplay category at BAFTA has leaned toward European dramas and prestige character studies. Coogler’s victory signals a widening of the academy’s narrative lens — acknowledging stories rooted in diverse cultural experiences while maintaining awards credibility.
Equally significant was the win for Sentimental Value in the Best Film Not in the English Language category. Directed by Joachim Trier, the film’s victory marks the first time a Norwegian production has won a BAFTA award.
Norway has previously secured nominations but had never converted one into a win. This milestone places Norwegian cinema more firmly within the European awards ecosystem, particularly at a moment when international films are playing an increasingly central role in global awards conversations.
Sentimental Value takes the win for Film Not in the English Language🌟#EEBAFTAs pic.twitter.com/sN3UvowJgl
— BAFTA (@BAFTA) February 22, 2026
Trier, whose previous film The Worst Person in the World earned Academy Award nominations and strong festival acclaim, continues to position Norway as a serious awards contender. Sentimental Value had already secured the Grand Prix at Cannes before entering the BAFTA race, building sustained momentum across territories.
The BAFTA recognition further reinforces the academy’s expanding global outlook. In recent years, BAFTA has demonstrated a willingness to elevate international voices beyond token inclusion. The success of Sentimental Value reflects a broader pattern of European and global cinema gaining equal footing alongside British and American productions.
The 2026 ceremony also demonstrated that representation milestones are increasingly emerging through competitive categories rather than honorary distinctions. Coogler’s win was not framed as symbolic; it was earned in a contested field. Similarly, Norway’s breakthrough did not occur in a marginal category but in one of the ceremony’s most internationally watched races.
Taken together, these achievements suggest that BAFTA’s voting body is evolving in both demographic composition and artistic sensibility. The academy’s recognition of diverse storytellers and non-English-language cinema aligns with industry-wide conversations about inclusion, global storytelling and cross-border collaboration.
Importantly, these milestones arrive during a period when awards institutions face scrutiny over diversity and international representation. By delivering tangible historic outcomes within competitive categories, BAFTA positions itself as an academy willing to expand its canon rather than merely discuss reform.
While the night’s headlines centered on Paul Thomas Anderson’s sweep, the deeper legacy of BAFTA 2026 may well lie in these firsts. Ryan Coogler’s screenplay win rewrites a portion of BAFTA history, and Sentimental Value’s triumph establishes a new chapter for Norwegian film on the global awards stage.
As the awards season moves toward the Oscars, these milestones carry symbolic and strategic weight. They reflect not only individual achievement but also a broader redefinition of whose stories and whose national cinemas are considered central to the contemporary awards conversation.
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