Chloé Zhao just made history as the first Asian woman––and only the second woman ever––to win Best Director at the Oscars 2021. Here are five things to know about the award-winning director
Chloé Zhao is the latest director to make waves and triumph in the movie industry. After sweeping Best Director awards at numerous festivals and award-giving bodies, Chloe Zhao has made history as the second woman to win Best Director at the Oscars and the first Asian woman to win the award. It's a historic year for the category, having two women nominated for the first time.
Prior, she also made history as the second woman to win in the Best Director category in the Golden Globe's entire 78-year history for Nomadland, which also won Best Picture. Zhao also won the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival. With these wins, many hailed Zhao's win as an inspiration for young women, particularly those pursuing arts.
It's already proving to be a big year for Zhao and she's definitely a director that we should be keeping our eyes on. We break down five things to know about the award-winning filmmaker.
See also: Chloé Zhao On Why "Nomadland" Is A Film For Everyone—And Working With Marvel
1. Multi-cultural upbringing
Zhao was born in Beijing as Zhao Ting. In an interview with Vogue in 2018, she said that her parents sent her to "one of those Hogwarts boarding schools" in the UK where she learned English. She eventually finished high school in Los Angeles, living alone in Koreatown. Upon graduation, Zhao moved to Massachusetts to study political science at Mount Holyoke, a private liberal arts women's college before heading off to study film in New York.