Award Season is one of my favourite times of the year because I get to pretend to be a fashion and film expert while sitting in my pyjamas and drinking wine. But it has also become the most predictable time of the year. It’s the time of the year when I get to watch Black people – producers, directors, actors and creatives – get constantly overlooked, passed over or ignored.

Movies like The Woman King, an epic period piece, Till, the story of Mamie Till-Bradley, the mother of Emmett Till, and Saint Omer were all snubbed by The Oscars. It is not hard to notice what they all have in common. At the BAFTAs last Saturday, the presenters were much more diverse than the winners. All 49 of the awards went to white winners. All of them. 

Even looking at the history, no Black woman nor any Black filmmaker has ever won an award for Best Director at the Oscars. There has always been an issue. Movies and films that people of colour lead are often given superficial applause yet little to no solid recognition once award season comes around.