Clare Binns received the 2026 BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema award. The honour recognises a significant contribution to British filmmaking and exhibition, and it is distinct from the competitive awards voted for individual films or performances.
Binns is a film executive and the creative director of Picturehouse Cinemas, the UK exhibitor known for combining mainstream releases with independent, international and specialist films. Her work has helped bring distinctive cinema to British audiences and has supported the visibility of films that might receive less space in a purely commercial programme.
The award is easy to mix up with the BAFTA Fellowship, which was presented to Donna Langley at the same ceremony. Langley’s honour recognised a career in global studio leadership, while Binns’s award focused on her contribution to British cinema culture, particularly through film distribution and exhibition.
The presentation took place during the 79th British Academy Film Awards at London’s Royal Festival Hall on 22 February 2026. Binns’s recognition also highlights that British cinema’s influence comes not only from directors and actors, but from the people who help films reach audiences.