British-Nigerian actress Wunmi Mosaku has claimed the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress at the 79th BAFTA Film Awards for her role in Sinners, beating Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another) and Emily Watson (Hamnet) in a career-defining win.
Mosaku accepted the award while heavily pregnant, in a moment that has already begun circulating widely online. This marks her second BAFTA victory. She previously won the TV Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2017 for Damilola, Our Loved Boy, and received a BAFTA Film Award nomination for Best Leading Actress in 2021 for His House. With Sinners, she now secures the film win her trajectory has long pointed toward.
In her emotional acceptance speech, she dedicated the award to her daughter: “To my daughter, you are my greatest teacher. I am so proud of you, everything begins and ends with you.”
She also reflected on the personal impact of playing Annie: “I found a part of myself in Annie, a part of my hopes, my ancestral power and connection, parts I thought I had lost or tried to dim as an immigrant trying to fit in.”
Closing her speech, she addressed director Ryan Coogler: “I felt the presence of the ancestors’ pride and joy daily on your set.”
