BAFTA 2026: A Double Win For Nigeria
The 2026 BAFTA Film Awards took place on February 22 in London, with several wins linked to Nigerian talent across acting and debut filmmaking categories.
At the ceremony organised by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, British-Nigerian actor Wunmi Mosaku won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Annie, a herbalist and healer, in “Sinners”, directed by Ryan Coogler. The win marks her second BAFTA in the supporting category; she previously won in television in 2017 for “Damilola, Our Loved Boy”.
Reports noted that Mosaku, who was pregnant at the ceremony, thanked her team in her acceptance speech and reflected on her immigrant background. “Sinners” picked up two additional awards on the night—Original Screenplay for Coogler and Original Score for Ludwig Göransson—bringing the film’s total to three.
In the debut categories, Akinola Davies Jr. and Wale Davies won Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for My Father’s Shadow. The film, their first full-length feature, is set in Lagos during Nigeria’s 1993 election crisis and follows two brothers navigating tensions with their father against a politically charged backdrop.
Akinola Davies Jr., who was raised in Nigeria, dedicated the award to immigrant parents who sacrificed for their children’s futures. Some coverage reported that a “Free Palestine” remark from his speech was edited out of the BBC broadcast. Wale Davies, also known for his work as part of the rap duo Show Dem Camp, continues to bridge music and film spaces with this transition into award-winning screenwriting.
Overall, “Sinners” emerged as one of the night’s strongest performers, while Nigerian-linked creatives secured visible recognition within British cinema’s institutional framework.
The results reflect a steady presence rather than a sudden breakthrough. Nigerian actors and filmmakers are increasingly positioned within major UK productions, contributing across performance, writing and direction — and this year’s BAFTAs made that visible.
