2026 Nominees

Narges Rashidi, Prisoner 951

Dancing Ledge Productions, BBC

UK

- Best Performance in a Drama

Narges Rashidi plays Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe in "Prisoner 951”. In Episode 2, submitted here for consideration, Nazanin is moved from Kerman Prison, on the promise of release, but as soon as she is back in Tehran, she is returned to Evin. We follow Nazanin through interrogations, a secret trial, and the moment she receives her five-year sentence. It is always a challenge for an actor to portray a real person, but Rashidi brings a rare truth, authenticity, and sensitivity to her portrayal of Nazanin. Her profound connection with the material and her commitment to honouring the horror of what Nazanin experienced shines in every scene. She is always utterly believable, from her beautifully realised connection with her 22-month-old ‘daughter’, to her defiance with her interrogator, to her fear and bewilderment, to her dignity in the face of being made to sign a forced confession.