Hamnet was named Outstanding British Film at the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday night. The Shakespeare drama, starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, triumphed over a competitive field that included 28 Years Later, The Ballad of Wallis Island, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Die My Love, H Is For Hawk, I Swear, Mr Burton, Pillion, and Steve.
Rapper Stormzy presented the award at London’s Royal Festival Hall to producers Liza Marshall, Sir Sam Mendes, and Dame Pippa Harris.
In his acceptance speech, Mendes said, “Thank you, BAFTA. Fantastic. Everyone here, and there’s lots of people coming up on stage that are utterly thrilled. Can I just say, what an incredible list of Best British film nominees this year?” He added, “We’re not great as an industry or as a culture at patting ourselves on the back, but on this occasion, perhaps we should.”
Describing the film as an “act of faith,” Mendes reflected on the project’s emotional ambition. Hamnet explores William Shakespeare’s marriage to Agnes Hathaway and how the death of their son inspired Hamlet.
Mendes continued: “[It was] about a movie, a quiet, epic, about love and loss, and beauty, and grief, could span centuries and generations and find an audience in a cinema. “The fact that it has is just wonderful for everyone involved in it.”
He went on to thank the team behind the film, directed by Chloe Zhao, including co-producer Steven Spielberg. “I have to shout out, my co-producer, the great Steven Spielberg, for once again showing his commitment to film and filmmakers, and believing in us, believing in this movie from the very start. And of course, I wouldn’t be standing here – none of us would be standing here without Chloe Zhao and the incredible cast and crew. Or, the person who started it, or a wonderful lead producer, Liza Marshall.”
With its BAFTA win, Hamnet further strengthens its awards season momentum as it continues its theatrical run.
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