2021 Academy Awards - Chloe Zhao Makes History as the First Woman of Color to Win Best Director

Hollywood

April 25, 2021

by Suzanne Joe Kai

"Nomadland" director Chloé Zhao made history at tonight's 2021 Academy Awards, becoming the first woman of color to win Best Director. 

Her film "Nomadland" also won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Actress in a leading role. 

Frances McDormand won the Oscar for Best Actress in "Nomadland."

She was also a Producer of the film.

Frances plays a woman in her 60's who loses everything in the Great Recession of 2008 and lives in a van as a nomad like other transient workers in the American West during the 2008 economic crisis.

Frances McDormand howled onstage during her acceptance speech in tribute to Michael Wolf "Nomadland's" production sound mixer who died at the age of 35. 

Chloé Zhao is only the second woman ever to win the Directing award, tonight marking yet another milestone for the Oscars.

The only other woman to win an Oscar for Directing is Kathryn Bigelow^[5] in 2010,^[6] for The Hurt Locker.

Born in Beijing, China, Chloé moved with her parents to London when she was in high school, and attended Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts.

She attended New York University's MFA graduate film program. 

She currently lives in Ojai, California. 

Sources:

Oscars.org

IMDB

RottenTomatoes.com

Variety.com April 25, 2021 Frances McDormand

Variety.com March 6, 2021 Wolf Snyder