Toronto, Apr 19 (IANS): A lady director wins best director award at the Oscars and a female-driven movie wins two Academy Awards, signalling a huge shift in what the general public is watching and how Hollywood is viewing the much-maligned genre, the 'chick flick'.

Ashley Elaine York, sociology doctoral student at the University of Alberta and first Corus Entertainment Fellow in television studies, says the new female-driven narratives are getting their due, largely as a result of a shift in identity from the date movies or tear-jerkers of yore.

These new films are being given treatment that was previously reserved for blockbuster movies, York noted. From the recent successes of some of these movies at the Oscars, such as "Precious" or the "Hurt Locker", the trend is definitely catching on.

"The new model of the 'chick flick' is not the romantic comedy of years past. It's conceived and marketed in such a way that it's multi-pronged," said York.

"There's a book, there's retail merchandise associated with it. It's a movie with spectacular visuals; it gets a lot of pre-release hype. It's tied into a soundtrack and into a star persona."

The traditional examples of this genre had limited, niche public appeal, says York. Movies such as "16 Candles" and "Clueless" were largely directed at teen audiences.

While other movies like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" developed a cult following, the movie likely didn't attract certain key demographics, such as men in the age bracket of 26-35 or older women.

However, the formula and the appeal of the female-driven narrative are changing, notes York. The stories are topical and relevant for the modern woman.

York says movies such as "Mamma Mia" and "Sex and the City" are multi-generational, multi-racial features staring both genders and having a broad appeal. But they also treat women in a different way than traditional women-centred films.

"The chick flick is both a date movie and an empowerment movie," said York.

York says that this shift is likely to bring on more major changes to the new women's-film franchise revolution, some of which she notes are already happening. New stars are appearing all the time, she notes.

Aside from more female-driven movies being produced, York says female stars can leverage more control over, and more latitude with, their films through their own productions companies.

These types of movies allow female stars to explore topics that would not have been talked about before in any movie.

"This new formula works for what Drew Barrymore and Flower Films, her production company, did with 'Whip It'," said York. "It also works for women directors, too, such as Catherine Hardwicke, who directed 'Twilight', or Kathryn Bigelow with The 'Hurt Locker'."

But the power for women to tell and craft stories that have such a wide ranging approach is not the only sign of changes of a female powerplay in Hollywood, says York.

The powerful female stars, be they actors, producers or directors, are also reaping the financial rewards of these new kinds of blockbusters.

With the ladies of tinseltown being able to wield that sort of power leads York to believe that the women are truly bringing out the "Holly" in Hollywood. And it's a trend that is not likely to end anytime soon, said a University of Alberta release.

"I really do believe that we're in the decade of the woman. It just hasn't been recognised yet," she said.