Chloé Zhao made history with her 2020 film Nomadland, becoming the first woman of color to win the Academy Award for Best Director. Born in Beijing in 1982, she established a distinctive filmmaking career by blending independent narrative techniques with authentic, non-professional performances to explore themes of displacement and the American experience through a global lens.
Formative Years and Education
Born Zhao Ting, she was the daughter of Zhao Yuji, a steel company executive, and stepdaughter of actress Song Dandan. Drawn to Western pop culture during her youth in Beijing, she attended schools in China before moving to Los Angeles at age 18. She completed undergraduate studies at Mount Holyoke College, majoring in politics before transitioning to film production through the graduate program at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
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Zhao's early short films established her interest in social realism, starting with 2009's The Atlas Mountains. In 2010, her student film Daughters, set in rural China, received recognition at the Palm Springs International Short Fest and Cinequest Film Festival. These projects provided the foundation for her feature film approach, which prioritizes on-location production and deep collaboration with local communities.
Feature Film Breakthroughs
Her 2015 debut feature, Songs My Brothers Taught Me, utilized residents of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to examine Lakota Sioux life. She followed this with the 2017 drama The Rider, which received critical acclaim for its depiction of a cowboy's recovery from injury. Both films were noted for utilizing non-actors to achieve a documentary-like quality within narrative structures.
Global Recognition and Expansion
The success of Nomadland brought Zhao significant international accolades, including the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and an Academy Award for Best Picture. Following this success, she moved into large-scale production with the Marvel superhero film Eternals in 2021. Her 2025 film, Hamnet, continued this trajectory of critical success, winning the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama and earning her a second Academy Award nomination for Best Director.
Fast facts
- Born: 31 March 1982, Beijing
- Citizenship: People's Republic of China
- Notable works: Songs My Brothers Taught Me, The Rider, Nomadland, Hamnet
- Education: Mount Holyoke College, New York University Tisch School of the Arts
- Academy Award for Best Director: 2021
- Academy Award for Best Picture: 2021
- Time 100: 2021
- Member: American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Questions readers ask
What is Chloé Zhao's background in cinema?
She is a director, screenwriter, producer, editor, and actor who rose to prominence through independent films and later directed major studio productions.
What major awards has Zhao won for directing?
She won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2021, becoming the second woman to do so, alongside BAFTA and Golden Globe wins in the same year.
Achievements
- Golden Lion — 2020
- Academy Award for Best Director — 2021
- Golden Globe Award for Best Director — 2021
- Academy Award for Best Picture — 2021
- Notable work: Songs My Brothers Taught Me
- Notable work: The Rider
- Notable work: Nomadland
- Notable work: Hamnet
- Worked as film director, screenwriter and film producer
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