2017 has been a year of female empowerment in the real world and also on the big screen, where female-centered awards hopefuls — meaning films primarily about a woman or women and not equally about a man or men — include Lady Bird, Wonder Woman, Molly’s Game, Girls Trip, The Shape of Water, The Florida Project, mother!, First They Killed My Father, Wonder Wheel, The Beguiled and I, Tonya.
But how many of these films will wind up with a best picture Oscar nomination? And can any of them actually win? History suggests that they will face an uphill climb.
One or two female-centered films get nominated for best picture nearly every year. This century’s examples include Arrival, Hidden Figures, Brooklyn, Room, Zero Dark Thirty, The Help, Black Swan, Winter’s…