Hidden Figures to Erin Brockovich: Hollywood biopics telling powerful stories of women

From Frida to Hidden Figures, Hollywood has focused on portraying the lives of notable women, aiming at highlighting the challenges and achievements of women in various fields, sometimes also emphasising their personal struggles and their public contributions.

The film follows the story of Tonya Harding, a competitive ice skater who rises to fame despite her personal struggles. However, her career begins to go off the rails when her ex-husband re-enters her life. Released in 2017, it is based on the life and career of American figure skater Tonya Harding and her connection to the 1994 assault on her rival Nancy Kerrigan.

It tells the story of a plantation owner who promises to free a slave family. However, when he fails to be true to his words, a girl from the family escapes and becomes an abolitionist. It is loosely based on the true story of abolitionist Harriet Tubman, accurately portraying her 1849 escape from slavery, her work as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and her later role as a Civil War spy. Starring Cynthia Erivo, the film was released in 2019.

The biographical film, released in 2016, tells the story of three female African-American mathematicians, who play a pivotal role in astronaut John Glenn's launch into orbit. Meanwhile, they also have to deal with racial and gender discrimination at work. It is loosely based on the 2016 book by Margot Lee Shetterly. It follows three female African-American mathematicians, Katherine Goble Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, who worked at NASA during the Space Race in the 1950s and 1960s.

Erin Brockovich tells about a single mother without employment who becomes a legal assistant; she is determined to punish a powerful Californian energy corporation that has allegedly polluted a city's water supply network. The 2000 film Erin Brockovich is a true story based on the life of the environmental activist of the same name.

Featuring Angelina Jolie, the film tells the story of a renowned opera singer, Maria Callas, who takes refuge in Paris during the 1970s after living a glamorous yet turbulent life in the public eye. Released in 2024, the biopic is labeled as a “creative reimagining” of what this time was like in Callas' life.