Chloé Zhao just made history as the first Asian woman—and only the second woman ever—to win Best Director at the Golden Globes. 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. While she's been tipped for an Oscar nomination this year, potentially making her the first Asian woman to be nominated in the Best Director category, Chloé Zhao has already made history with her latest win—Best Director at the Golden Globes for Nomadland, which also won Best Picture.
The Best Director award makes Zhao just the second woman to win in the category in its entire 78-year history. Prior, Zhao also won the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival. It's also a historic year for the category, with for the first time ever, the nominations dominated by women. 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 filmmaker who's just getting started.
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.
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