All posts tagged: BAFTA 2026

’Clash of Clans’ Game Firm CEO Ilkka Paananen to Get BAFTA Fellowship

’Clash of Clans’ Game Firm CEO Ilkka Paananen to Get BAFTA Fellowship

Published by Daniella Wilson

Finnish video game entrepreneur Ilkka Paananen, the CEO and co-founder of Supercell, the mobile gaming company behind Clash of Clans, will be honored with the BAFTA Fellowship at the BAFTA Games Awards with Google Play on Friday, April 17. “The BAFTA Fellowship, the highest accolade bestowed by BAFTA, celebrates exceptional individuals who have driven innovation, creativity, and positive change in the screen arts, including games, over the course of their career,” the British Academy highlighted. “Credited with building one of the most successful mobile games companies, Ilkka co-founded Supercell in 2010,” BAFTA said. “Under his leadership, Supercell’s innovative ‘small team’ philosophy has produced iconic mobile blockbusters, including Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, and Brawl Stars. The company is known for its strong culture of trust, open communication and effective collaboration with partners. Across the years, and despite industry challenges, Supercell has thrived with handheld hits and bold investment in new games.” Said Paananen: “Receiving the BAFTA Fellowship is an incredible honor. Looking at the names of previous Fellows, I see so many of my personal heroes – …

Delroy Lindo Speaks on BAFTA Tourette’s Fiasco at NAACP Image Awards

Delroy Lindo Speaks on BAFTA Tourette’s Fiasco at NAACP Image Awards

Published by Daniella Wilson

At the end of the week that saw the 2026 BAFTA Awards descend into controversy after guest John Davidson, who has Tourette Syndrome, shouted the N-word while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented an award, the 2026 NAACP Image Awards offered numerous opportunities for those affected by the incident to express their support for Jordan and Lindo. And Lindo himself offered his first public comments on the incident, taking the stage with his Sinners writer-director Ryan Coogler a little over an hour into the ceremony to loud applause at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. “I’d just like to officially say, I appreciate, we appreciate all the support and love we have been shown in the aftermath of what happened last weekend. It means a lot to us,” Lindo said. He added the moment is a “classic case of something that could be very negative becoming very positive” and reflected on the “honor” of being at the NAACP Image Awards. BAFTA has since offered a full apology for the incident, which reached a wider audience when …

BAFTAs Brought Painful Reminder for Tourette Syndrome Community

BAFTAs Brought Painful Reminder for Tourette Syndrome Community

Published by Daniella Wilson

When the advocate Jess Thom heard about a person with Tourette’s “ticcing” the BAFTAs, she had a familiar feeling: dread. Thom has Tourette Syndrome and when she got word of what happened with John Davidson, it brought to the surface many of the misunderstandings and confused reactions she has spent her life trying to fight. “There are a lot of myths and oversimplifications about Tourette Syndrome, and a global frenzy is not the best place to have a conversation about them,” the U.K.-based Thom, 45, said by Zoom from her home Monday evening as she reflected on the events. “And it’s all happening in a climate with increased hostility to disabled people, with threats to Medicaid and the ADA.” Davidson at the ceremony engaged in “ticcing,” the term for when people who have Tourette Syndrome, or TS, involuntarily say or do something that can have the effect of making others uncomfortable. In this case, the executive producer and inspiration for the Tourette’s-focused winner, I Swear, called out a series of curses and insults, as well as a racial …

How the Tourette’s Fallout Unfolded at the BAFTA Film Awards

How the Tourette’s Fallout Unfolded at the BAFTA Film Awards

Published by Daniella Wilson

The BBC has apologized for “strong and offensive language” at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards after a racial slur was not cut from its final broadcast. A Tourette’s campaigner, John Davidson, was heard cursing throughout the show — including shouting the N-word as Sinners duo Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the best visual effects award to Avatar: Fire and Ash, which prompted gasps across the audience and made for a definitively uncomfortable atmosphere inside London’s Royal Festival Hall. Davidson is the inspiration behind Kirk Jones’ critically-acclaimed film I Swear, following a man’s struggle growing up with Tourette’s syndrome. The condition is characterized by sudden, involuntary, and repetitive movements or sounds. These are often referred to as “tics,” and can manifest as outbursts such as loud swearing. The incident has resulted in widespread debate among the film community and online, as questions are put to BAFTA and the BBC, who chose not to cut the swearing and racial slur, despite the show being aired on a two-hour delay. The broadcaster and the British Academy have so …

Tourette’s Debate Sparked at BAFTA Awards After John Davidson Slurs

Tourette’s Debate Sparked at BAFTA Awards After John Davidson Slurs

Published by Daniella Wilson

A debate has been sparked among BAFTA Film Awards attendees and online after a Tourette’s campaigner, John Davidson, was heard cursing throughout the show. Davidson is the inspiration behind the BAFTA-nominated I Swear. Robert Aramayo, who depicted the Scotsman in Kirk Jones’ widely acclaimed film, nabbed the BAFTA for best actor on Sunday night — over Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothee Chalamet, Ethan Hawke and Michael B. Jordan. The film follows a man’s struggle growing up with Tourette’s syndrome, a condition characterized by sudden, involuntary and repetitive movements or sounds. These are known as tics, and they often manifest as outbursts such as loud swearing, which occurred numerous times over the first 20 minutes of the BAFTA ceremony as Davidson shouted, “Boring!” while guests were taken through some of the housekeeping rules before the show began, and “Bullshit!” when people were asked not to curse. He also exclaimed, “Shut the fuck up,” while BAFTA chair Sara Putt made her introductory remarks and, later, prompted gasps when he said the n-word as Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented …

Where to Watch BAFTA Awards 2026 Free Online in the U.S. Live Stream

Where to Watch BAFTA Awards 2026 Free Online in the U.S. Live Stream

Published by Daniella Wilson

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission. Hosted by Alan Cumming at London’s Royal Festival Hall, the 79th BAFTA Film Awards will, for the first time ever, be broadcast in the U.S. on cable TV. The ceremony airs on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 8 p.m. PT/ET on E!, meaning cord-cutters can watch on any live TV streaming service that carries the network, including DirecTV (with a five-day free trial), Sling and Hulu + Live TV. At a Glance: How to Watch 2026 BAFTA Awards Online Since select streamers are offering free trials and limited-time discounts, viewers can catch the star-studded evening at no cost; keep reading to learn more about each option, and scroll down for this year’s nominees, performers and presenters. Where to Watch BAFTA Awards 2026: Air Date and Time, Stream Free Online in the U.S. The 79th BAFTA Film Awards air in the U.S. on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 8 p.m. PT/ET, on E!, which can …

NBCU’s Donna Langley Says ‘Decency Is a Superpower’

NBCU’s Donna Langley Says ‘Decency Is a Superpower’

Published by Daniella Wilson

The star-studded BAFTA Film Awards 2026 ceremony in London on Sunday also put a spotlight on Donna Langley, chair of NBCUniversal Entertainment and the first British woman to run a major Hollywood studio. The top executive, born and raised on the Isle of Wight in the U.K., took to the stage to receive the British Academy’s highest honor, the BAFTA Fellowship, to a standing ovation before highlighting cinema’s power to bring people together. “We are … facing moments of change and disruption today,” Langley said. “And my hope is that those of us who help tell stories for a living continue to find inspiration to make popular art that carries over into people’s everyday lives — that helps us understand the world a bit better and to see each other a little more clearly… and reminds us that decency is a superpower.” Langley also shared that her parents helped her “see differences as a strength and not a weakness.” She continued: “As my career has progressed, I’ve come to believe that the most meaningful part of …

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Stars Electrify BAFTA Awards With ‘Golden’

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Stars Electrify BAFTA Awards With ‘Golden’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Netflix‘s KPop Demon Hunters singing voice stars took the stage at the BAFTA Film Awards in London on Sunday evening, getting a game crowd grooving. In their first-ever live performance outside the U.S., EJAE, who provides the singing voice for Rumi, Audrey Nuna, who sings Mira’s lines, and Rei Ami, who stars as the singing voice of Zoey, performed their Grammy-winning hit “Golden” at Britain’s biggest movie awards night. Cameras showed audience members nodding along, shaking their shoulders and otherwise getting into the music. “Performing at the EE BAFTA Film Awards is a golden moment that our younger selves could never have imagined,” the trio had said when they were unveiled as performers. “We’re so proud to represent Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters and spread the film’s positive message to fans around the globe.” The movie tells the story of three women who are demon hunters and use their singing voices to create a magical barrier against demons called the Honmoon. Emma Baehr, executive director of awards & content at BAFTA, highlighted at the time that the Sony-produced …

BAFTA Awards 2026 Winners List Film

BAFTA Awards 2026 Winners List Film

Published by Daniella Wilson

And the BAFTA goes to… Those words are once again the focus in London Sunday night at the 79th BAFTA Film Awards ceremony, hosted by Alan Cumming, the presenter and producer of The Traitors U.S., at London’s Royal Festival Hall. The BAFTA nominations set up a thrill ride for the British Academy honors, with Paul Thomas Anderson’s political thriller One Battle After Another earning 14 nods, narrowly edging out Ryan Coogler’s vampire film Sinners with 13, and Chloé Zhao’s Shakespearean heartbreaker Hamnet and Josh Safdie’s ping-pong caper Marty Supreme getting 11 nods each. Other top BAFTA nominees include Joachim Trier’s drama Sentimental Value and Guillermo del Toro’s gothic epic Frankenstein, which earned eight BAFTA noms each, and Yorgos Lanthimos’ black comedy Bugonia and Kirk Jones’ Tourette Syndrome advocate dramedy I Swear with five each. First-time BAFTA nominees in the performance categories include Robert Aramayo, Odessa A’zion, Rose Byrne, Chase Infiniti, Michael B. Jordan, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Stellan Skarsgård, and Teyana Taylor. Among BAFTA nomination records are Zhao’s Hamnet as the most-nominated film by a female director ever, and Coogler’s Sinners as the most-nominated film by a Black director in the British Academy’s history. At the BAFTA Film Awards 2025, Conclave (best film) and The Brutalist (best …

How BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip Plans to Spend the Film Awards

How BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip Plans to Spend the Film Awards

Published by Daniella Wilson

It’s Jane Millichip‘s fourth BAFTA Film Awards this Sunday, and the CEO is already anticipating a lively show. The exec has lauded the likes of Chloé Zhao and Ryan Coogler for their record-breaking feats ahead of the star-studded awards ceremony at London’s Royal Festival Hall, though it’s Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another out in front with 14 nominations in total. It’s also been a hugely impressive year for British indie film with Harry Lighton’s Pillion, Akinola Davies Jr.’s My Father’s Shadow, and Tim Key and Tom Basden’s Ballad of Wallis Island all up for BAFTAs, which has Millichip beaming. “This year’s nominees tell a story,” she tells The Hollywood Reporter this week. “They’re really unapologetic [in] storytelling and style this year, which is really interesting.” But Millichip is also admittedly in awe of around 2,000 people who will be working on the weekend’s live show, broadcast on the BBC in the U.K. and on E! in the U.S. “What I found absolutely mesmerizing when I first joined was just what the 360 of it …