Chloé Zhao is First Woman of Color to Win Best Director, ‘Nomadland’ Wins Best Picture at Oscars

The Beijing-born director, 39, became the first woman of color to win the best director award at the Oscars as well as the second woman to win the award, NPR reported.

 

In her acceptance speech, the director recalled how she learned and memorized Chinese poems and texts with her dad while growing up, USA Today reported. One line that stuck with her from “Three Character Classic” was: “People at birth are inherently good.”

“It might seem like the opposite is true, but I’ve always found goodness in the people I’ve met in the world,” she said. “This is for you. You inspire me to keep going.”

Zhao was the second woman to win the best director award in the history of the Oscars, following Katheryn Bigelow in 2009 for her Iraq War drama “The Hurt Locker.”

The best director award at the Oscars is just one of Zhao’s many firsts in the last few months. In March, Zhao won the best director award at the Golden Globes for “Nomadland,” making her the first Asian woman to take home the trophy in the category.

In April, she became the first woman of color to win the award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film at the 73rd annual Directors Guild Association Awards.

In addition to best director, her film “Nomadland” also won the award for Best Picture at the Oscars, beating other nominated films such as “Minari,” “The Father,” “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Mank,” “Promising Young Woman,” “Sound of Metal,” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”

Featured Image via ABC