A bronze theatrical mask on a plinth, designed by the sculptor Mitzi Cunliffe in 1955 (1955)
The trophy, still used across all of the academy's ceremonies
General knowledge · Film, TV & games
The BAFTAs
Academy founded 1947; first film awards 1949
Film and television prizes — the British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The awards of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, whose film ceremony is Britain's equivalent of the Oscars. The body began in 1947 as the British Film Academy, founded by David Lean, Alexander Korda, Carol Reed and others; it merged with the Guild of Television Producers in 1958 and took its present name in 1976. The trophy is a bronze theatrical mask designed by the American sculptor Mitzi Cunliffe. Since 2001 the film ceremony has been held before the Academy Awards, making it a closely watched bellwether of the awards season.
How to spot them
- ▸A bronze mask on a plinth, the work of the sculptor Mitzi Cunliffe
- ▸Founded in 1947 as the British Film Academy, by David Lean and others
- ▸Separate ceremonies for film, television, games and children's media, each with its own mask
- ▸Moved in front of the Oscars in 2001; the Fellowship is the highest honour
Key facts
Founded in 1947 as the British Film Academy, with David Lean as its first chairman (1947)
Alexander Korda, Carol Reed, Charles Laughton and Laurence Olivier were among the founders
The Best Years of Our Lives took Best Film at the first ceremony, in 1949 (1949)
William Wyler's film; the separate award for Best British Film went to Odd Man Out
A Rising Star award, voted for by the public and first won by James McAvoy in 2006 (2006)
Created in memory of the casting director Mary Selway
The ceremony was moved in front of the Academy Awards in 2001 to sharpen its influence (2001)
It had previously been held in the spring, after the Oscars
One Battle After Another took six awards including Best Film in February 2026 (2026)
Paul Thomas Anderson also won Director; Hamnet took Outstanding British Film
Jessie Buckley won Leading Actress for Hamnet in 2026 (2026)
Robert Aramayo took Leading Actor for I Swear
The Prince of Wales has been the academy's president since 2010 (2010)
Prince William; his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten and his father both held the role before him
Quick-fire facts
- •Founded in 1947 as the British Film Academy; the British Academy of Film and Television Arts took its present name in 1976
- •The mask trophy was designed by the American sculptor Mitzi Cunliffe in 1955
- •The academy's headquarters are at 195 Piccadilly, London
- •Separate ceremonies cover film, television, television craft, games and children's media
- •The Fellowship is the academy's highest honour, given for outstanding lifetime contribution
- •The Outstanding British Film award is named the Alexander Korda Award; the Outstanding Debut award is named for Carl Foreman
- •The EE Rising Star Award, voted by the public since 2006, was created in memory of the casting director Mary Selway; James McAvoy won it first
- •Since 2001 the film ceremony has been scheduled before the Academy Awards
- •One Battle After Another dominated the 2026 film awards with six wins, including Best Film and Director
- •Hamnet, directed by Chloé Zhao, won Outstanding British Film in 2026, with Jessie Buckley taking Leading Actress
Drill it — 7 cards
1 / 7new card
Sources
- British Film Institute — BAFTAs 2026: the winners in full
- British Academy of Film and Television Arts — BAFTA — About us and awards history Consulted for the academy's history and trophy; cited without URL