When actress Cate Blanchett took to the stage at this year's Academy Awards, winning the best actress Oscar for her performance in "Blue Jasmine," she delivered a memorable and eloquent speech.

It included these fighting words: To "those of us in the industry who are still foolishly clinging to the idea that female films, with women at the center, are niche experiences. They are not. Audiences want to see them and, in fact, they earn money."

"Blue Jasmine" also earned Oscar nods for supporting actress Sally Hawkins and for best original screenplay by Woody Allen.