Hamnet is a 2025 biographical period film directed by Chloé Zhao, who co-wrote the screenplay with Maggie O'Farrell, based on the 2020 novel by O'Farrell. The film dramatises the family life of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes Hathaway as they cope with the death of their 11-year-old son Hamnet. It stars Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal as Agnes and William, alongside Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn, and Noah Jupe in supporting roles.
Hamnet had its world premiere at the 52nd Telluride Film Festival on 29 August 2025 and received a limited theatrical release by Focus Features in the United States and Canada on 26 November. It received a wide theatrical release on 5 December and was released by Universal Pictures in the United Kingdom on 9 January 2026. Critical reception was positive, with Buckley's performance receiving particular praise. It was listed among the top ten films of 2025 by the American Film Institute. The film won Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for Buckley at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards. At the 79th British Academy Film Awards, the film won Outstanding British Film as well as Best Actress in a Leading Role for Buckley. It was also nominated in eight categories at the 98th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress for Buckley.
Accolades AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryNominee(s)ResultAACTA International Awards 6 February 2026 Best Film Hamnet Best Direction Chloé Zhao Best Actress Jessie Buckley Best Supporting Actor Paul Mescal Best Supporting Actress Emily Watson Best Screenplay Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell AARP Movies for Grownups Awards 10 January 2026 Best Picture Hamnet Academy Awards 15 March 2026 Best Picture Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Steven Spielberg, and Sam Mendes Best Director Chloé Zhao Best Actress Jessie Buckley Best Adapted Screenplay Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Best Casting Nina Gold Best Costume Design Malgosia Turzanska Best Production Design Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton Best Original Score Max Richter Actor Awards 1 March 2026 Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Joe Alwyn, Jessie Buckley, Noah Jupe, Paul Mescal, and Emily Watson Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Jessie Buckley Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Paul Mescal Alliance of Women Film Journalists 31 December 2025 Best Film Hamnet Best Director Chloé Zhao Best Actress Jessie Buckley Best Actor, Supporting Paul Mescal Best Screenplay, Adapted Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Best Ensemble Cast & Casting Director Nina Gold & Lucy Amos Best Cinematography Łukasz Żal Best Editing Affonso Gonçalves & Chloé Zhao Best Female Director Chloé Zhao Best Female Writer Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell American Film Institute Awards 4 December 2025 Top 10 Films Hamnet Astra Film Awards 9 January 2026 Best Picture - Drama Best Director Chloé Zhao Best Actress - Drama Jessie Buckley Best Supporting Actor - Drama Paul Mescal Best Adapted Screenplay Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Best Young Performer Jacobi Jupe Best Original Score Max Richter 11 December 2025 Best Cinematography Łukasz Żal Best Costume Design Malgosia Turzanska Best Production Design Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton Austin Film Critics Association 18 December 2025 Best Actress Jessie Buckley British Academy Film Awards 22 February 2026 Best Film Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Steven Spielberg, and Sam Mendes Best Director Chloé Zhao Best Actress in a Leading Role Jessie Buckley Best Actor in a Supporting Role Paul Mescal Best Actress in a Supporting Role Emily Watson Best Adapted Screenplay Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Best Costume Design Malgosia Turzanska Best Production Design Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton Best Makeup and Hair Nicole Stafford Best Original Score Max Richter Outstanding British Film Chloé Zhao, Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Steven Spielberg, Sam Mendes, and Maggie O'Farrell BFI London Film Festival 6 November 2025 Audience Award for Best Feature Hamnet Boston Online Film Critics Association 20 December 2025 Top Ten Films of 2025 Camerimage 22 November 2025 Golden Frog Łukasz Żal Celebration of Asian Pacific Cinema and Television 14 November 2025 Vanguard Award Chloé Zhao Chicago Film Critics Association 11 December 2025 Best Actress Jessie Buckley Best Adapted Screenplay Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Best Cinematography Łukasz Żal Costume Designers Guild 12 February 2026 Excellence in Period Film Malgosia Turzanska Critics' Choice Movie Awards 4 January 2026 Best Picture Hamnet Best Director Chloé Zhao Best Actress Jessie Buckley Best Supporting Actor Paul Mescal Best Young Actor/Actress Jacobi Jupe Best Casting and Ensemble Nina Gold Best Adapted Screenplay Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Best Cinematography Łukasz Żal Best Costume Design Malgosia Turzanska Best Production Design Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton Best Score Max Richter Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association 17 December 2025 Best Picture Hamnet Best Director Chloé Zhao Best Actress Jessie Buckley Best Supporting Actor Paul Mescal Directors Guild of America Awards 7 February 2026 Outstanding Directing – Feature Film Chloé Zhao Dorian Awards 3 March 2026 Film of the Year Hamnet Director of the Year Chloé Zhao Film Performance of the Year Jessie Buckley Screenplay of the Year Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Georgia Film Critics Association 27 December 2025 Best Picture Hamnet Best Director Chloé Zhao Best Actress Jessie Buckley Best Adapted Screenplay Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Best Production Design Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton Best Original Score Max Richter Golden Globe Awards 11 January 2026 Best Motion Picture - Drama Hamnet Best Director Chloé Zhao Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama Jessie Buckley Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture Paul Mescal Best Screenplay Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Best Original Score Max Richter Gotham Film Awards 1 December 2025 Best Feature Liza Marshall, Nicolas Gonda, Pippa Harris, Sam Mendes, and Steven Spielberg Outstanding Lead Performance Jessie Buckley Hollywood Music in Media Awards 19 November 2025 Best Original Score in a Feature Film Max Richter Houston Film Critics Society 20 January 2026 Best Picture Hamnet Best Director Chloé Zhao Best Actress Jessie Buckley Best Supporting Actor Paul Mescal Best Casting Nina Gold IFTA Film & Drama Awards February 20, 2026 Best Lead Actress Jessie Buckley Best Supporting Actor Paul Mescal Best Script Maggie O'Farrell and Chloe Zhao Best International Film Hamnet International Cinephile Society 8 February 2026 Best Picture Best Actress Jessie Buckley Best Adapted Screenplay Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Kansas City Film Critics Circle 21 December 2025 Best Film Hamnet Best Actress Jessie Buckley Best Adapted Screenplay Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Best Cinematography Łukasz Żal Las Vegas Film Critics Society 19 December 2025 Best Actress Jessie Buckley Best Costume Design Malgosia Turzanska Youth Male Performance Jacobi Jupe Middleburg Film Festival 19 October 2025 Visionary Director Award Chloé Zhao 20 October 2025 Narrative Feature Audience Award Hamnet Mill Valley Film Festival 3 October 2025 Mill Valley Film Festival Award Jessie Buckley 14 October 2025 Overall Audience Favorite Hamnet NAACP Image Awards 28 February 2026 Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture Chloé Zhao National Film Awards UK1 July 2026Best DramaHamnetBest DirectorChloé ZhaoBest ActressJessie BuckleyBest Supporting ActressEmily WatsonBest Supporting ActorPaul MescalOutstanding PerformanceJacobi Jupe New York Film Critics Online 15 December 2025 Best Picture Hamnet Best Director Chloé Zhao Best Actress Jessie Buckley Best Supporting Actor Noah Jupe Paul Mescal Best Screenplay Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Best Ensemble Cast Hamnet Best Cinematography Łukasz Żal Best Use of Music Hamnet Best Breakthrough Performer Jacobi Jupe Online Film Critics Society 26 January 2026 Best Picture Hamnet Best Director Chloé Zhao Best Actress Jessie Buckley Best Adapted Screenplay Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Best Cinematography Łukasz Żal Best Costume Design Malgosia Turzanska Best Production Design Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton Palm Springs Film Festival 2 January 2026 Vanguard Award Hamnet Phoenix Film Critics Society 15 December 2025 Top Ten Films Best Actress in a Leading Role Jessie Buckley Best Performance by a Youth Jacobi Jupe Producers Guild of America Awards 28 February 2026 Best Theatrical Motion Picture Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Steven Spielberg, and Sam Mendes San Diego Film Critics Society 15 December 2025 Best Film Hamnet Best Director Chloé Zhao Best Actress Jessie Buckley Best Adapted Screenplay Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Best Cinematography Łukasz Żal Best Editing Affonso Gonçalves and Chloé Zhao Best Costume Design Malgosia Turzanska Best Production Design Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton Best Youth Performance Jacobi Jupe San Diego International Film Festival 19 October 2025 Best Gala Film Hamnet 22 October 2025 Audience Choice: Best Gala Film San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle 14 December 2025 Best Film Best Director Chloé Zhao Best Actress Jessie Buckley Best Supporting Actor Paul Mescal Best Adapted Screenplay Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Best Cinematography Łukasz Żal Best Production Design Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton Satellite Awards 10 March 2026 Best Motion Picture - Drama Hamnet Best Director Chloé Zhao Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama Jessie Buckley Best Actor in a Supporting Role Paul Mescal Best Adapted Screenplay Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Best Cinematography Łukasz Żal Best Editing Affonso Gonçalves and Chloé Zhao Best Costume Design Malgosia Turzanska Best Production Design Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton Best Original Score Max Richter Seattle Film Critics Society 15 December 2025 Best Picture Hamnet Best Director Chloé Zhao Best Actress in a Leading Role Jessie Buckley Best Cinematography Łukasz Żal Best Youth Performance Jacobi Jupe Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards 6 February 2026 Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film Max Richter Southeastern Film Critics Association 15 December 2025 Top 10 Films of 2025 Hamnet Best Actress Jessie Buckley St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards 14 December 2025 Best Film Hamnet Best Director Chloé Zhao Best Actress Jessie Buckley Best Supporting Actor Paul Mescal Best Adapted Screenplay Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Best Cinematography Łukasz Żal Best Music Score Max Richter Best Costume Design Malgosia Turzanska Best Production Design Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton Best Scene The Globe theatrical production Toronto Film Critics Association 7 December 2025 Best Picture Hamnet Outstanding Lead Performance Jessie Buckley Best Adapted Screenplay Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Toronto International Film Festival 14 September 2025 People's Choice Award Hamnet Valladolid International Film Festival 1 November 2025 Audience Award Vancouver Film Critics Circle 23 February 2026 Best Picture Best Director Chloé Zhao Best Female Actor Jessie Buckley Best Screenplay Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Virginia Film Festival 30 October 2025 Narrative Feature Audience Award Hamnet Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association 7 December 2025 Best Film Best Director Chloé Zhao Best Actress Jessie Buckley Best Youth Performance Jacobi Jupe Best Ensemble Hamnet Best Adapted Screenplay Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell Best Editing Affonso Gonçalves and Chloé Zhao Best Production Design Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton Best Score Max Richter Women Film Critics Circle 21 December 2025 Best Movie About Women Hamnet Best Movie By a Woman Chloé Zhao Best Actress Jessie Buckley Best Screen Couple Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal
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