In recent years there has been a lot of controversy emanating from Hollywood and the film industry wirh regards to their treatment of women. This year in particular, the Academy (need full name) has being heavily criticised for the lack of female nominees in the Best Director category for an Oscar. Now this is not for a lack of female directors out there, nor for a lack of female directors that have directed incredible films in the past 12 months - namely, Greta Gerwig's adapted screenplay of Little Women. In actual fact, in the 92 year lifespan of the Academy Awards, only one female has won the Best Director award - Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker, in which the storyline focussed entirely on the male main character. Furthermore, of the top 100 highest-grossing films of 2019, 12 of them were directed by women. This may not sound like a huge proportion, but this is a 4.5% increase from 2018. 

To balance out this sexism and to remind our female readers of all the incredible role models out there we have decided to highlight five of our favourite feminist and empowering films. This is only a short dip in the water of all the inspiring work to have come from females within the industry, and is by no means an exclusive list. Plus, we've decided to showcase some of the films that have had less limelight, rather than bombard you with the usual Clueless, Legally Blonde and Erin Brockovich recommendations. Although we need not remind you that these are all also well worth a watch - or a re-watch. 

Booksmart – available on Amazon Prime

Photo: Annapurna Pictures

#FLODown: Although this is ultimately a comedy film, through it's humour it depicts a beautiful female friendship on which the entire premise revolves. Booksmart is Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut and features Beanie Feldstein (Jonah Hill’s sister) and Kaitlyn Dever who play two relatively uptight, nerdy teenage girls on their last day at school before graduation. Amy and Molly have been best friends for yonks and think very highly of each other, but their peers consider them to be pretty pretentious and boring. When Molly discovers what people actually think of them, she decides that tonight is the night to have fun and loosen up a bit. The film explores sexuality, sex, growing up and friendships in a lighthearted but realistic way.

Wild 

Available on Netflix

Photos:Fox Searchlight Pictures

#FLODown: Originally a novel by Cheryl Strayed, this 2014 biographical drama film that features Reese Witherspoon, was an instant hit with critics. Both Witherspoon and Laura Dern (who plays her mother in the film) received Oscar nominations for their performances – Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively. The story follows Cheryl Strayed who, after a divorce, sets out on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment whilst hiking 1,100 miles of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail. It is a film that will inspire you; the determination, sense of self and strength portrayed through Strayed’s character is like no other.

On the Basis of Sex

Available on Amazon Prime

#FLODown: On the Basis of Sex is a film based on the life and early cases of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg – a name that many of you will have heard, but without necessarily knowing why. Felicity Jones plays Ginsburg and we see her as a first-year student at Harvard Law School – where she was one of few female students. Her husband is diagnosed with cancer whilst they are both still at university and so she starts to attend both his and her own classes whilst also looking after their infant daughter, Jane. Even in these early years, Ginsburg’s strength of character and determination to get to where her aspired to position in life is clear. In 1970, a tax law case is brought to Ginsburg’s attention and she decides to take it on, using it as an opportunity to challenge the many enshrined laws that favour men over women. It is an incredibly raw film, that is made even more powerful by the fact that it’s based on real events.

Hidden Figures

 Available on All4 and Amazon Prime 

Photo: 20th Century Fox

#FLODown: Hidden Figures is based on the non-fiction book of the same name about the black female mathematicians who worked at NASA during the space race, and were essentially written out of its history. The film stars Taraji Henson portraying Katherine Johnson, a mathematician who calculated flight trajectories for Project Mercury and other missions; Olivia Spencer as NASA supervisor and mathematician Dorothy Vaughan; and Janelle Monáe as NASA engineer Mary Jackson. Whilst being an infuriating lesson as to the women’s mistreatment because of both their gender and their race, Hidden Figures is ultimately a powerful and motivating film - it will inspire you to keep fighting. 

Wild Rose 

Available on Amazon Prime 

Photo: Entertainment One UK

#FLODown: Jessie Buckley is spectacular in this awe-inspiring film about having courage, determination and belief in yourself - for which she won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Wild Rose is a musical drama film with a gorgeous soundtrack that is also available on Spotify and all your usual places. Buckley plays Rose-Lynn Harlan who is an aspiring country music singer. At the beginning of the film she leaves prison following a sentence of a few years, and immediately her ’wild’ side is brought to light as we follow Harlan’s first day after release. We quickly learn that Harlans’s mother has been parenting her two children whilst she was in prison. The story hangs on the inner turmoil of Rose-Lynn, who on the one hand is trying desperately to get to Nashville and make it in country music, but who also wants to connect with her children and be a good parent to them. This film is emotionally charged and is well worth a watch for the screenplay itself, regardless of any personal preferences when it comes to country music.

Words by Mollie Kate Cohen

Illustration by Natalie Hapeshi