Leonardo DiCaprio’s latest collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another, has stormed into Oscar contention after a commanding triumph at the 79th British Academy Film Awards.
The political thriller emerged as the biggest winner of the night in London, clinching the coveted Best Film trophy and racking up six BAFTA wins in total, including Best Director for Anderson.
‘One Battle After Another’, loosely based on Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland, follows a group of former revolutionaries who reunite 16 years later to confront a resurfacing enemy. DiCaprio stars as Bob Ferguson, with Regina Hall co-starring as Deandra. The ensemble also features Benicio Del Toro, Teyana Taylor, and Sean Penn.
Alongside its BAFTA success, ‘One Battle After Another’ has already claimed Best Film honours at several prestigious award shows, including the Critics’ Choice Awards 2026, the Directors Guild of America Awards 2026, the Golden Globes 2026, and the Gotham Awards 2025, as per Variety.
Anderson also secured BAFTAs for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.
In his acceptance speech for Best Director, he paid a heartfelt tribute 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,” Anderson said, as quoted by Variety.
He added, “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.” The BAFTA 2026 ceremony was streamed live on Lionsgate Play.