Hollywood braced for best picture photo finish at Oscars

This year's gala being seen as an opportunity to support female filmmaking

HOLLYWOOD, California - Hollywood is set for a reallife cliffhanger on Sunday at the Oscars - the race for best picture is coming down to the wire to cap an awards season overshadowed by scandal over sexual misconduct in showbiz.

Dark crime comedy Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri has begun to pull away in late betting for the industry's biggest prize, but Oscarologists believe fairy tale romance The Shape of Water and socially-conscious horror movie Get Out will make it a photo finish.