We have finally stumbled out of the desert that was this summer's movie season — a wasteland of ill-conceived sequels — and emerged into an oasis of thoughtful, moving, challenging, joyous, original movies that will stretch right into the end of the year. Yes, at long last, we have entered awards season.
For the second year in a row, there are a bounty of acclaimed films showcasing standout performances by women. And unlike the back-to-back #OscarsSoWhite debacle that marred the 2015 and 2014 awards season, this fall will feature a strong assortment of movies starring and created by people of color.
Some of these live-action feature films have already won over audiences at the Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, Telluride, Venice, and Toronto film festivals — not to mention the handful of films that have already opened in theaters. There are also several that have yet to screen publicly anywhere, but remain central to the conversation among awards season punditry largely based on the pedigree of the filmmakers behind them. Some of these movies could turn out to be total duds — we all remember Joy, even if we don't want to — so take their inclusion in this list as an acknowledgment of potential, not an endorsement of quality. And there could always be a surprise nominee or two that sneaks in at the last minute. So this is simply a celebration of the best filmmaking can offer — because this fall, there will be quite a lot of great films to see.
Movies that have publicly screened:
1. Love & Friendship
2. The Lobster
3. Captain Fantastic
4. Florence Foster Jenkins
5. Hell or High Water
6. Sully
7. Other People
8. Queen of Katwe
9. American Honey
10. The Birth of a Nation
11. Moonlight
12. Hacksaw Ridge
13. Loving
14. Arrival
15. Elle
16. Manchester by the Sea
17. Nocturnal Animals
18. Lion
19. Jackie
20. La La Land
21. A Monster Calls
22. Toni Erdmann
Movies that have not yet publicly screened:
23. The Girl on the Train
24. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
25. Allied
26. Rules Don't Apply
27. Miss Sloane
28. Passengers
29. Patriots Day
30. Silence
31. 20th Century Women
32. Fences
33. Gold
34. Hidden Figures
35. Live by Night
UPDATE
This post has been updated with the newest release date for Live By Night. A previous update included the newest release date for Jackie.
CORRECTION
This post has been corrected to accurately state that Hacksaw Ridge could possibly be nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, since it is based on a documentary. A previous version stated it could be potentially nominated for Best Original Screenplay.