Chloé Zhao wins 2021 Oscars with Nomadland, becoming the second woman to win the award for best director in history
If you have made the small hours to follow the night of the Oscars 2021, you will already know that to triumph was – as expected – Chloé Zhao with Nomadland. The Chinese director takes home three statuettes out of six nominations: Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress for Frances McDormand.
And it is immediately history: Chloé Zhao is the second woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director in Academy history.
Chloé Zhao is the second woman awarded for best director
Before her, only Kathryn Bigelow had managed to win the coveted statuette with the war film The Hurt Locker (2008). In what have been defined as the “Oscars of inclusivity”, two female directors were nominated for best director: in addition to Chloé Zhao, also the British newcomer Emerald Fennell for A Promising Woman. But the story dedicated to the people of the forgotten by the Chinese director prevailed, in which the power of the images certainly contributed to winning the hat-trick of the most important prizes. At the same time, the director also becomes the first Asian woman – and the first non-American woman – to win the award.
Chloé Zhao – pseudonym of Zhao Ting – had already begun her ascent to history before the Oscars. In fact, she is the first female director to win the BAFTA Award and the Directors Guild of America Award, as well as winning the Golden Globe for Best Director, the second female director to win after Barbra Streisand with Yentl (1983).
During her thank you speech, Chloé Zhao thanked her nominated colleagues and everyone who worked with her on Nomadland. Including the real nomads Linda May and Swankie, present at the ceremony. In the virtual press room, she reflected on being the first non-American woman to win the Best Director award by stating:
I am extremely lucky to be able to do what I love for a living. If this victory means that more people will be able to live their dream, I am grateful and happy.
In a male-dominated film world, it’s really nice that a woman triumphed this year. What do you think of the prizes awarded? Here you can take a look at the list of all winners of quest0 2021. Continue as always to follow us on this page so as not to miss all the news on cinema and TV series!