After #MeToo, will this year's Golden Globe nominations send a message to Hollywood?

They always set the stage forthe rest of awards seasonbut this yearthe Golden Globe nominations are about much more than just the screen itself.

With the sexual harassment scandalunfolding daily and the ongoing #MeToo movement the climate in Hollywood might not only affect who shines through, butalso who's left out.

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Toppicks

Call Me By Your Name, a romantic coming-of-age film based on a book by the same name,and Guillermo del Toro's fantasy drama The Shape of Water are predicted to capture the most nominations, according to the awards analysis site goldderby.com.

The site is also calling for the Christopher Nolan-directed WW2film Dunkirk to not onlyscore a nod for best drama, but to eventually take the category.

"Dunkirk looks good because it's the kind of big epic spectacle that voters often rally behind," said Gold Derby editor Tom O'Neil, who says the site achieves accuracy rates above 75 per cent when predicting nominees and winners. "Its hopes are bolstered by the fact that its director is outrageously overdue."

Dunkirk, Call Me By Your Name, and The Shape of Water are among the American Film Institute's (AFI) Top 10 official selections for 2017.

Diverse slate and female empowerment

Also on the prestigious AFI list released earlier this week areThe Big Sick, KumailNanjiani's heartfelt, award-winning rom-com based on his own lifeand Get Out, a horror flick withprofound commentary about race relations.

Both films are poised to receive nominationsand there's plenty of room.

Don't forget, the Golden Globes divide best film into two categories (drama and comedy/musical), so criticalfavourites (which also made theAFIlist) such as the dark gemThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, the star-studded political thrillerThe Post andGreta Gerwig'spoignant mother-daugthercomedy-dramaLady Bird are also strong contenders.

"In the wake of the sexual harassment scandal rocking Hollywood, movies about female empowerment are fast becoming front-runners like Lady Bird,Shape of Water,Three Billboardsand The Post," said O'Neil."Here in Hollywood, it's clear that Oscar voters are eager to send a message with the movies they pick."

Sending a message

A last-ditchattempt by the acclaimedthrillerWind Riverto detach itselfduring campaign season from its original distributor,the Weinstein Company,showsthere are desperate hopes for the film tosurviveon its own merits.

While the moviedelves into the important and timely subject matter ofmurdered Indigenous women and sexual assault,it could still be difficult for people to reward a filmthat has any ties todisgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein.

"I think we will hear many speeches by awards winners denouncing sexual harassment in Hollywood and in the United States in general," saidSteve Ross, a history professor specializing inHollywood and politics at the University of Southern California.

Similarly,House of Cards, which has been nominated for bestdrama series multiple times and even scored a 2015 best actor Globe for KevinSpacey, is likely to be excludedfollowingsexual harassment accusations againstSpaceyand his subsequent removal from the show's next season.

Manipulating the odds

Because the Globes offer a ton of categories, the door can beopen for a little manipulation.

If the crop of dramas in one year looks particularly competitive, why not attempt to weasel into another category? We saw that in 2016with The Martian, aMatt Damon-led sci-fi film, which was far from funny but somehow managed to take best comedy and best comedic actor thanks to some skilfulstick-handling.

The rules have changed because of that controversial win, but there are still loopholes. The Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman-producedBig Little Lies officially (and perhaps conveniently)announced a Season 2one day after the Globes' nomination balloting had closed. Since it was initially considered a limited series, it will vieforthat less-competitive category rather than where it shouldnow rightfully compete: best drama series.

Watch for these Canucks

A win for Big Little Lies is also awin for Canadians, since Quebec filmmaker Jean-Marc Valle was behind the first season.

With Stranger Things likely to compete for best drama series, Montreal-born executive producer Shawn Levy would be among the nominees.

While The Handmaid's Tale, which swept the Emmys and will no doubt get a Globe nod, is an American series, it still has Canadian ties. Not only is it based on Margaret Atwood's classic dystopian novel, but it was shot in and around Toronto.

Also keep a lookout for the Angelina Jolie-produced animated feature The Breadwinner. The film, about a young girl forced to conceal her identity under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, isa Canadian co-production based on a book by Ontario native Deborah Ellis.

Nominations for the 75th Golden Globe Awards will be announced Monday at 8:15 a.m. ET by Alfre Woodard, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Bell and Sharon Stone. CBCNews will livestream the event.

The Golden Globes will be broadcast liveon Jan. 7, 2018, fromLos Angeles and will behosted by Seth Meyers.