The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) revealed the nominations for the 79th British Academy Film Awards today. Representing films from around the world and highlighting specific taste of British voters, the 2026 nominees include international releases and films driven by blockbuster performances alongside contenders that are both critical and commercial hits. The nominees were announced at BAFTA's headquarters in Piccadilly, London. The awards ceremony will take place on February 22, 2026, at the Royal Festival Hall, hosted by Alan Cumming.

The history of the British film industry is older, richer, and more globally influential than it is often given credit for—an industry that helped shape the very grammar of cinema, nurtured some of the screen’s greatest performers, and quietly educated Hollywood long before Hollywood became a global empire. Britain was not a follower in the birth of motion pictures; it was present at the creation, experimenting with moving images at the same moment cinema itself was being invented.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are two of the most controversial public figures in the world today. Many people admire them for having the courage to break away from an oppressive institution. Others think they are traitors for leaving their positions but not their celebrity lifestyles. This dichotomy is particularly visible in the British press, which still obsesses over the couple’s saga. To understand why this is, it is useful to examine the historical relationship between the royal family and the media as well as the American perspective.

LONDON - Darlings, don’t be fooled by crowns or klieg lights — the British monarchy and Hollywood’s golden age were always in the same business: selling dreams wrapped in satin. One reigned from palaces, the other from studios, but both built empires on illusion and the fragile scaffolding of public adoration. One gilded in gold leaf, the other in celluloid sheen— but both run on the same machinery: image, illusion, and impeccable timing.