Excitingly, the 2026 Oscars saw a number of performers and filmmakers picking up those iconic gold statuettes for the first time – some of whom are relatively early on in their careers, and others who’ve been waiting a long time to win an Academy Award.
While One Battle After Another and Sinners were the two biggest success stories of the night, there were plenty of other movies whose cast and crew picked up awards during Sunday night’s ceremony.
Here are just seven first-time winners from this year’s Oscars…
Jessie Buckley
After a clean sweep at awards season this year, Jessie Buckley rounded things off with a win in the Best Actress category for her performance in the heartbreaking drama Hamnet.
The Irish performer had one Oscar nomination to her name already this year, off the back of her work in the Maggie Gyllenhaal movie The Lost Daughter, in which she played the younger version of Olivia Colman’s character.
Michael B Jordan
The Best Actor category was one of the most open contests in the lead-up to the 2026 Oscars, but in the end, Sinners star Michael B Jordan beat stiff competition from Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet, Ethan Hawke and Wagner Moura to the prize.
Michael’s win was one of the night’s most emotional moments, following his performance as twins Smoke and Stack in the hugely popular musical vampire thriller.
Amy Madigan
Amy Madigan achieved something really rare at the 2026 Oscars, winning an Academy Award for playing a horror character, after stealing the show in last year’s Weapons thanks to her work as Aunt Gladys.
Before this year, Amy had earned one Oscar nomination previously, back in 1986, for the film Twice In A Lifetime.
Earlier this year, she broke the record for the longest gap between two nominations at the Academy Awards, joking on stage: “Everybody’s asking me in the press, ‘well, it’s been 40 years, what’s different about this time?’. What’s different is I got this little gold guy!”
Ryan Coogler
Back in January, Sinners made Oscars history when it received more nominations than any other film since the Academy Awards started.
While sadly, it didn’t end up becoming the night’s top winner when the ceremony came around, it did pick up a respectable four awards, including Best Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler.
Ryan’s first nomination was in 2020 as a producer on the Best Picture nominee Judas And The Black Messiah, with another following two years later for his work on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.
Paul Thomas Anderson
“You make a guy work hard for one of these!” Paul Thomas Anderson joked during his first speech at Sunday night’s Oscars, quickly adding: “I really appreciate it.”
It’s been almost 30 years since Paul was first nominated for an Oscar as the director of Boogie Nights, consistently racking up more nods for movies like Inherent Vice, Phantom Thread and There Will Be Blood, none of which translated into a win until this year.
Of One Battle Another Another’s six wins, half of them were for Paul himself, who picked up three awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Autumn Durald Arkapaw
One of Sinners’ wins was in the Best Cinematography category.
Not only was this Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s first time winning an Oscar, it was the first time any female artist has triumphed in this category, which was not lost on the creator, who invited all of the women in the room to stand up with her to commemorate the moment.
Joachim Trier
What movie fans might not realise is that the Best International Feature Film prize doesn’t just go to filmmakers, but to actual countries.
So, this year’s triumph for Sentimental Value marks the first time a Norwegian film has won in this category – technically marking the first time Norway itself has received an Oscar, as well as its director, Joachim Trier.
Check out the full list of winners from the 2026 Oscars here.
In the lead-up to this year’s Oscars, it looked like the Best Actor prize could have gone in one of several directions, after previous wins for Timothée Chalamet, Wagner Moura and Michael B Jordan at various awards shows over the last few months.
At Sunday night’s Academy Awards, it was Sinners star Michael who came out on top, in one of the night’s most memorable and emotionally-charged moments.
The US star was visibly stunned when his name was called by last year’s recipient Adrien Brody, first pausing to share the moment with his mum, who was seated to his right, before being wrapped up in a hug by Sinners director Ryan Coogler.
He and co-star Delroy Lindo then also shared a moment before Michael headed up to the stage to collect his award – but what really came across was just how much love there was for the Black Panther star from the whole auditorium.
Meanwhile, in his acceptance speech, he paid homage to the Black performers who have won Oscars for their leading performances in the past, name-checking Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker and Will Smith.
Michael B. Jordan just thanked all six Black winners in the Best Actor and Best Actress categories during his own Best Actor speech:
“I stand here because of the people that came before me. Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith.… pic.twitter.com/4gtBrUlM6g
Michael played twins Smoke and Stack in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which made Oscars history as the most-nominated film ever at the Academy Awards.
In the end, it triumphed in an impressive four categories in total, but One Battle After Another was the year’s big winner, picking up six awards including Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson and the coveted Best Picture prize.
Michael B. Jordan poses with his Oscar following Sunday’s ceremony
Sean Penn also won his third Oscar on Sunday night for his work in One Battle After Another (but didn’t attend to accept it in person), while the hotly-contested Best Supporting Actress went to Amy Madigan for Weapons, over One Battle After Another’s Teyana Taylor and Sinners’ Wunmi Mosaku, as well as Sentimental Value’s Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas.
Meanwhile, Frankenstein came away with three technical prizes, and family favourite KPop Demon Hunters won two awards in total.
Take a look at our round-up of all the winners from the 2026 Oscars here.
The 2026 Oscars marked a huge night for Michael B. Jordan and Jessie Buckley, who triumphed in the most coveted categories, best actor and best actress.
Hosted for the second time by Conan O’Brien, the 98th Academy Awards saw Hollywood’s biggest names descend on the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for a celebration of another epic 12 months of cinema.
Ahead of the night, Ryan Coogler’s horror/action blockbuster Sinners led the way with a record-breaking 16 nominations, while acting titans including Leonardo DiCaprio, Emma Stone, Ethan Hawke, and Kate Hudson had hopes of winning big.
Jordan’s portrayal of the dual role of twin brothers Smoke and Stack in Sinners ultimately secured him a leading gong, as did Buckley’s performance as Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet.
Meanwhile, it was Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another that emerged the most decorated, taking home six of its 13 noms. This included best picture and Anderson’s first-ever Oscar win after 14 nominations.
Taking to the stage for his acceptance speech, Jordan, 39, was visibly stunned, taking to the mic and declaring: ‘God is good.
Michael B. Jordan took home the leading actor gong for his dual role in Sinners (Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
The star was visibly emotional as he gave a heartfelt speech (Picture: Reuters)
‘I stand here because of the people that came before me,’ he continued, name-checking Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, and Will Smith.
‘To be amongst those giants, amongst those greats, amongst my ancestors, amongst my guys. Thank you, everybody in this room and everybody at home for supporting me over my career. I feel it.
‘I know you guys want me to do well, and I want to do that because you guys bet on me. So thank you for keep betting on me, and I’m gonna keep stepping up, and I’m gonna keep being the best version of myself I could be.’
His gratitude undeniable, he concluded: ‘Thank you for everybody in this room that has something to do with my success.
‘I love you guys and everybody at home who supported Sinners, who went to go see the movie, once, twice, three, four or five times, thank you, because you guys made this movie what it is. I love you. I love you. I love you.’
Jordan faced competition from DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Hawke (Blue Moon), Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme), and Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent), but proved the bookies right as he collected the golden statue, having been the favourite with odds of over 50%.
Jessie Buckley scored best actress for playing Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes, in Hamnet (Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
She burst into tears upon hearing her name, hugging co-star Paul Mescal (Picture: Reuters)
Who won at the Oscars 2026? Full list of winners
Best picture
One Battle After Another
Best director
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Best actress
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Best actor
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
Best supporting actor
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
Best supporting actress
Amy Madigan – Weapons
Best casting
One Battle After Another
Adapted screenplay
One Battle After Another
Original screenplay
Sinners
Editing
One Battle After Another
Cinematography
Sinners
Production design
Frankenstein
Visual effects
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Costume design
Frankenstein
Makeup and hair
Frankenstein
Original score
Sinners
Original song
Golden from K-Pop Demon Hunters
Sound
F1
International feature
Sentimental Value
Documentary feature
Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Documentary short
All the Empty Rooms
Animated feature
K-Pop Demon Hunters
Animated short
The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Live-action short
Tied: The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva
And when it came to best actress, Buckley’s winning moment was equally emotional as she hugged her husband, Freddie Sorensen, and her ecstatic co-star Paul Mescal.
Through tears, the Irish actress, 36, dedicated the award to the ‘beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart’.
‘This is really something,’ she began in disbelief. ‘Thank you to the incredible women that I stand beside. I am inspired by your art and your heart, and I want to work with every single one of you.
The Oscars 2026 – Metro’s Film Expert Tori Brazier gives her verdict from LA’s Dolby Theatre
It’s all over for another year, perhaps without any major surprises, but certainly with the feeling that anything was still possible in the room’s atmosphere throughout. Roars of delight met Michael B. Jordan’s best actor win, where I was in the Dolby Lounge, with calls to turn up the volume for his speech so it could be heard above the din.
Back in the room for Jessie’s win, and there was equal delight for her inevitable victory, too, and the naturally charming acceptance speech she gave.
Conan kept the energy up to an impressive degree over more than three and a half hours of a show that afforded equal time to every category and its winner (or two in the case of live-action short, which presenter Kumail Nanjiani handled with aplomb).
While it was One Battle After Another’s night, it was also one that celebrated Sinners, Frankenstein, and KPop Demon Hunters, with nods for Hamnet, Sentimental Value, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Weapons, and F1 as the major nominees as well.
I do personally wish The Secret Agent could have taken home something too – plus a little redistribution of other Oscars to suit my tastes – but the mood on the ground was very much one of celebrating all the films nominated, winner or not.
‘Mum, Dad, thank you for teaching us to dream and to never be defined by expectation but to carve from your own passion.’
She went on to note that it is Mother’s Day in the UK: ‘We all come from a lineage of women who continue to create against all odds.’
‘Thank you for recognising me in this role,’ Buckley finished off. ‘This is the greatest honour. I can’t even believe it.’
After a string of losses, Paul Thomas Anderson took home best director for One Battle After Another (Picture: Reuters)
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, it also bagged the coveted best picture (Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Other main categories saw the cast and crew of action-thriller One Battle After Another collect best picture, during which Anderson, who also bagged best director, said proudly: ‘What a night. Let’s have a martini. This is pretty amazing!’
The filmmaker also used the night to honour his friend ‘on the other side of the shadows’, Adam Somner, who was Anderson’s long-time collaborator and died in 2024 before the film was released.
Anderson said: ‘He’s at the bar having a gin and tonic, and he’s so happy for me.’
Looking at the award, he added: ‘There will always be some doubt that you deserve it, but there is no doubt in the pleasure at having it for myself.’
Other notable wins of the night came from the supporting actor and actress categories, which went to Sean Penn and Amy Madigan, respectively.
For Penn, it was his third Oscar thanks to his portrayal of corrupt military officer Col. Steven J. Lockjaw in One Battle After Another, and for Madigan, following a successful awards season run, she added another accolade to her collection for playing the villainous Aunt Gladys in horror flick Weapons.
Weapons villain Amy Madigan won in the supporting actress category (Picture: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
KPop Demon Hunters also took home two gongs (Picture: David Fisher/Shutterstock)
Sentimental Value won the best international feature film Oscar (Picture: Reuters)
The auditorium cheered as Ryan Coogler accepted the Oscar for best original screenplay for Sinners (Picture: Reuters)
While Penn, 65, stayed true to tradition by opting not to attend, Field of Dreams star Madigan, 75, told the audience how ‘overwhelmed’ she felt upon winning.
Referring to her husband of more than 40 years, she said: ‘The most important is my beloved Ed, who’s been with me forever, and that’s a long-ass time, and none of this would mean anything if he wasn’t by my side.
‘Thank you, I’m very overwhelmed.’
Further winners included Netflix hit Kpop Demon Hunters, which took two prizes, for best original song for Golden, plus best animated feature film, whole
And, interestingly, in the best live-action short film category, there was a tie for the seventh time in Oscars history, meaning it was won by both Two People Exchanging Saliva and The Singers.
After the winners left the stage, host O’Brien congratulated them and quipped: ‘You just ruined 22 million Oscar pools.’
The first tie came in 1932, while the last was in 2012, when Skyfall and Zero Dark Thirty both took home best sound editing.
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The Oscars are upon us – but who will be taking home those sought-after trophies? (Picture: AP/Metro)
The 2026 awards season is set to come to a spectacular close on Sunday with the Oscars, the glitzy climax of months of campaigning – and the final say on the best movies of the year.
With varied winners across the categories in industry ceremonies over the past few months, it’s an excitingly hard-to-predict culmination at the 98th Academy Awards.
Jessie Buckley’s best actress win for her gut-wrenchingly raw performance in Hamnet is considered the only sure bet, although Sinners goes into the evening as the most nominated film in history with a massive 16.
But there is robust competition from the likes of satirical thriller One Battle After Another, the gorgeously evocative Train Dreams, and the stunning cohort of international features, including Sentimental Value, It Was Just an Accident and The Secret Agent.
There’s also the high-octane Marty Supreme (if recent bad press for both director Josh Safdie and leading man Timothée Chalamet hasn’t damaged its chances) and the beautiful artistry of Frankenstein.
So as nominees, celebrities, and guests prepare to don their grandest gladrags, here are my predictions for who will walk away with the ultimate prizes.
Best director
Paul Thomas Anderson has clocked up an impressive amount of nominations for One Battle After Another, including for best director (Picture: Getty)
A category that’s shown little variation so far, the Oscars have previous winner Chloé Zhao for Hamnet, Ryan Coogler for Sinners, Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another, Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme, and Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value in play.
They all helmed some of the most popular films of the past year and represent a great variety of genres, from drama to horror to sports biopic to thriller and period drama weepie.
However, it’s been widely predicted – since even before official nominations were announced – that it will finally be Anderson’s year to win. He has amassed a whopping 14 nods in the screenplay, picture, and director fields over the past nearly 30 years without a single win yet.
He’s so far picked up the Bafta, Golden Globe, and Critics’ Choice Award this year, too.
However, he faces stiff competition from Coogler for the win, another filmmaker who, while earlier in his career, has already had a major impact on cinema with Black Panther and Creed. And then came Sinners’ record-breaking run of nominations…
Prediction:Paul Thomas Anderson
Dark horse: Ryan Coogler
Best actress in a leading role
Jessie Buckley has swept up a string of gongs so far for her performance in Hamnet (Picture: Focus Features)
Let’s not beat about the bush; Jessie Buckley is the overwhelming favourite and has been for months.
Claiming every prize so far on the road to the Oscars, the Irish star is rightfully having her moment to shine after her astonishingly vulnerable turn as William Shakespeare’s grieving wife, Agnes.
She’d already convinced me she was Oscar-worthy when she was first nominated in 2022 for The Lost Daughter in the supporting actress category, more than holding her own opposite Olivia Colman in an intimate generational drama.
Her fellow nominees are Rose Byrne for her deliciously chaotic performance in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (the only other person I’d be happy to see triumph after the role of a lifetime), as well as Kate Hudson for Song Sung Blue (a sentimental but sweet nod, years after she was last nominated for Almost Famous).
Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value) and Emma Stone (Bugonia) complete the category with effortlessly good performances too, ones that could easily win in another year – but this one is a comfortable bet.
Prediction: Jessie Buckley
Dark horse:Rose Byrne
Best actor in a leading role
Michael B. Jordan has the odds in his favour to take home best actor for Sinners (Picture: Warner Bros. Pictures)
This is where we reach some of the most unpredictable territory, with a category that’s had fluctuating frontrunners and winners during this awards season.
Timothée Chalamet started the year as a favourite as audiences revelled in the pacing and audacity of Marty Supreme, picking up a Golden Globe for best actor in the comedy or musical category, while The Secret Agent’s Wagner Moura won in the drama category. Some fancied him as the eventual Oscar winner after he scooped the best actor prize at Cannes, too, where the film premiered.
DiCaprio was beaten by Chalamet already at the Globes in January, but for an established acting icon on his eighth Academy Award nomination, it seems foolish to ever truly rule him out.
Ethan Hawke hasn’t had enough fanfare for my liking, though, given his outstanding turn as the witty but petty lyricist Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon, watching the beginning of the end of his successful musical partnership with Richard Rodgers on the opening night of Oklahoma! on Broadway.
It’s a gorgeously theatrical performance in the best way, thanks to Hawke’s live-wire interpretation, and if Academy voters were in a sentimental mood, I could see them making him a surprise winner. It would also mark the 55-year-old’s first Oscar after five nominations (although it’s been lovely to witness his enjoyment over just being along for the ride).
But the odds are currently in Michael B. Jordan’s favour for his technically accomplished (and just genuinely impressive) performance as twins Smoke and Stack in boundary-pushing vampire horror Sinners. A first-time nominee at 39, he’s not too young to fall by the wayside in a category not often dominated by young men – and he also picked up the Actor Award for his performance just a couple of weeks ago.
Prediction:Michael B. Jordan
Dark horse: Ethan Hawke
Best actress in a supporting role
Weapons star Amy Madigan has broken through after initially being considered a dark horse (Picture: AP)
Another pretty open race, Amy Madigan has furthered her successful season after following up her surprise win at the Critics’ Choice Awards for Weapons with the Actor Award as well. There’s also some neat symmetry in a win for her, as 2026 marks 40 years since her first nomination for the very fittingly titled Twice in a Lifetime.
Meanwhile, Wunmi Mosaku was the hometown hero honoured at the Baftas for Sinners, and Teyana Taylor got the Golden Globe for One Battle After Another.
While Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Elle Fanning are both wonderful in the nuanced (and funny) family drama Sentimental Value – which their nominations attest to – they are perhaps the least likely winners of the Oscar in this category.
Taylor’s turn in One Battle is a force to be reckoned with in one of the most instantly iconic and provocative female roles written in a good while – that of fierce revolutionary leader Perfidia Beverly Hills. And Taylor only rose to the occasion of acting opposite Sean Penn and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Prediction:Teyana Taylor
Dark horse: Amy Madigan
Best actor in a supporting role
Sean Penn is no stranger to the Academy, but can he score another win for One Battle After Another? (Picture: Warner Bros. Pictures)
My gut for this category is telling me Sean Penn; whether he turns up to the Oscars or not is another matter entirely.
He’s been well-recognised by the Academy in the past (he won his last two nominations), and has already scooped the Bafta and Actor Award for playing the repulsive and unhinged villain Colonel Lockjaw in One Battle After Another.
His popularity makes it unlikely co-star Benicio del Toro will break through as the supporting actor winner at this stage, although it’s been satisfying to see two such different performances from the same movie celebrated.
Jacob Elordi did win the Critics’ Choice Award in January after his transformative role in Frankenstein, but it feels more like an outside bet.
Which film do you think will win big at the Oscars on Sunday?
Sinners (16 nominations)
One Battle After Another (13 nominations)
Frankenstein (9 nominations)
Marty Supreme (9 nominations)
Sentimental Value (9 nominations)
Hamnet (8 nominations)
Bugonia (4 nominations)
The Secret Agent (4 nominations)
Train Dreams (4 nominations)
Penn’s main competition comes down to the two acting veterans in his category, both first-time Oscar nominees with storied careers – which Academy voters tend to like to recognise.
Sinners’ Delroy Lindo is widely considered to have been snubbed when he didn’t get nominated for Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods in 2021, meaning now could be his moment – especially with the love the Academy has shown for his film.
Meanwhile, Stellan Skarsgård was anointed an Oscar nominee by the public back in May after Sentimental Value’s Cannes premiere and, like Lindo, has really pulled a shift promoting the work. And without getting morbid, after a period of health challenges, this could be now or never for the Swedish thespian.
Prediction:Sean Penn
Dark horse: Stellan Skarsgård
Best picture
est picture is the award of the night – and Sinners might just take it (Picture: Warner Bros. Pictures)
Finally, we come to the biggie, crowning the definitive best movie of the year (well, sometimes) from a crowded field of 10.
It’s the first time these specific 10 have gone up against each other, as previous awards do tend to work from shorter nominee lists or split categories.
January’s Critics’ Choice Awards was the last – and previously only – time 10 were in direct competition, from which One Battle After Another emerged victorious; however, Jay Kelly and Wicked: For Good were among those candidates, and we now have The Secret Agent (exceptional) and blockbuster F1 (a crowd-pleaser).
Seeing as One Battle also won the Bafta for best film, it’s in pole position to take the prize at the Oscars, unless Sinners converts some of its groundbreaking nomination recognition. It’s the top dog of the evening, whereas One Battle was at the Baftas.
Frankenstein and Bugonia, while admirable films, never truly hit the zeitgeist in the same way as those; Sentimental Value and Train Dreams are quieter nominees I wish more had made the effort to see.
Hamnet had its expected triumph at the Baftas as a British film, but all awards attention and expectation seems to have naturally gathered around Buckley, while Marty Supreme has drifted since it failed to break through from the pack with quite so many nominations as One Battle and Sinners.
This category will truly be the battle of those titans, and anything else clinching this prize will be a shock victory.
Prediction: Sinners (by a hair)
Dark horse (if you can call it that): One Battle After Another
The 98th Annual Academy Awards airs on Sunday from 10:15pm on ITV and ITVX in the UK.
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Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson has issued a statement in response to the media furore surrounding an incident at this year’s Baftas.
On Sunday evening, John attended the awards show alongside the cast and crew of I Swear, a film based on his life story.
Variety reported that before the ceremony got underway, the event’s floor manager told guests that they “might hear some involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony”.
During the first award of the night, presented by Sinners actors Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan, John experienced an involuntary tic and shouted the N-word from the audience.
Following the incident – which the BBC included in its coverage of the Baftas, despite it airing on a two-hour time delay – John spoke out in a statement shared by Deadline on Monday night.
He began: “I wanted to thank Bafta and everyone involved in the awards last night for their support and understanding and inviting me to attend the broadcast.
“I appreciated the announcement to the auditorium in advance of the recording, warning everyone that my tics are involuntary and are not a reflection of my personal beliefs. I was heartened by the round of applause that followed this announcement and felt welcomed and understood in an environment that would normally be impossible for me.”
John continued: “In addition to the announcement by Alan Cumming, the BBC and Bafta, I can only add that I am, and always have been, deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning.
“I was in attendance to celebrate the film of my life, I Swear, which, more than any film or TV documentary, explains the origins, condition, traits and manifestations of Tourette Syndrome. I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette’s community and to teach empathy, kindness and understanding from others and I will continue to do so.”
He added: “I chose to leave the auditorium early into the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing.”
Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo on stage at the 2026 Baftas
Stuart Wilson via Getty Images for BAFTA
After Delroy Lindo expressed his disappointment at Bafta’s handling of the incident, the organisation issued a public apology to the Sinners actor and his co-star Michael B Jordan, accepting “full responsibility”.
In a statement to HuffPost UK, Bafta said: “At the Bafta Film Awards last night our guests heard very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many. We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all.
“One of our guests, John Davidson MBE, has Tourette Syndrome and has devoted his life to educating and campaigning for better understanding of this condition. Tourette Syndrome causes involuntary verbal tics, that the individual has no control over.
“Such tics are in no way a reflection of an individual’s beliefs and are not intentional. John Davidson is an executive producer of the Bafta-nominated film, I Swear, which is based on his life experience.”
“We take the duty of care to all our guests very seriously and start from a position of inclusion,” the statement continued. “We took measures to make those in attendance aware of the tics, announcing to the audience before the ceremony began, and throughout, that John was in the room and that they may hear strong language, involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony.
“Early in the ceremony a loud tic in the form of a profoundly offensive term was heard by many people in the room. Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time, and we apologise unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted. We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.
“During the ceremony, John chose to leave the auditorium and watch the rest of the ceremony from a screen, and we would like to thank him for his dignity and consideration of others, on what should have been a night of celebration for him.
“We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all. We will learn from this, and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy.”
Immediately after John’s initial tic, Baftas host Alan Cumming thanked the audience for their “understanding”, apologised later in the evening to anyone “if you are offended tonight”.
