I was very happy to see that Greta Gerwig’s Little Women picked up a few more nominations than expected – especially a nomination for Best Picture – but was dismayed that she was passed over for Best Director. In fact, though it wasn’t a surprise, it was still quite frustrating to see so many female filmmakers, so many directors of color, and so many performers of color sidelined this awards season. Awkwafina’s performance in The Farewell was outstanding, as was Zhao Shuzhen, who played her grandmother in the film. And I knew that Chinonye Chukwu’s Clemency would be a long shot with Oscar voters – both for Best Picture and Best Director – but I had hoped that Alfre Woodard might have squeaked into the Best Actress category with her magnificent performance. Still, my biggest disappointment was the omission of Mati Diop’s Atlantics from the Best International Film category – a film that was one of most gorgeous and haunting films of the year.