Here's an undisputed fact: The studio and independent system is white-male dominated, all of this hoopla that black and female filmmakers deserved to have their fair share of 2018 awards is quite simply overreaching and a form of virtue signaling on the part of film critics. It’s quite simple, really, the odds are heavily stacked for white male directors making the best films of the year.
Rome wasn't built in a day. It'll take time for the industry to catch up to inclusive filmmaking, despite all that, yeah, count me as disappointed that Debra Granik wasn’t part of the current awards chatter, they made great films this past year.
“Crazy Rich Asians” star Michelle Yeoh seems to agree with me:
“I think this year there were a few women roles that were really outstanding. And we really need more and more of them,” Yeoh said. “I was just disappointed that there were no women directors nominated. But it’s hard. Because it is so competitive. I think a lot of the time, let’s not nominate because we need to make up the numbers for the gender or the diversity, we have to do it because the movie and all the characters speak for what it is.”
“And I think it is getting more and more diversified because there are more opportunities created,” Yeoh said. “That’s where it begins.”