Rex Features
Despite the Academy’s recent efforts to diversify its largely homogenous membership, women remain severely underrepresented in cinema. In 2016’s highest-grossing films – only half of which passed the sexism-measuring Bechdel test – they comprised a meagre 29 per cent of protagonists. Given that women account for 52 per cent of moviegoers, this simply is not good enough. But there is hope. This year, the smash hit Wonder Womanbecame the most profitable female-directed film of all time; Sofia Coppola’s Best Director win at Cannes disrupted 56 years of male dominance; and actresses’ co-stars are accepting lower salaries to fight the gender pay gap. To quote Cate Blanchett: “Films with women at the centre are not niche experiences. Audiences want to see them and, in fact, they earn money.” As London’s Feminist Film Festival draws to a close, we round up five of our favourite girl-power movies.
