In 2021, Chloé Zhao became the second woman in history to win an Academy Award for Best Director for her film, "Nomadland." Her journey to becoming one of Hollywood's most innovative female directors is fascinating to note, especially as she continues to work on new projects in the film industry.
Born in Beijing, Zhao was surrounded by hardworking and selfless people, including her parents. However, she did not do well in school, as she devoted her attention to classes involving movies and manga. As a result, her parents sent her to a boarding school, Brighton College, located in England in the late 90s.
Soon, Zhao and her family moved to Los Angeles. She finished high school and enrolled in Mount Holyoke College, a private liberal arts women's college in Massachusetts. She studied politics with a minor in film studies and received her degree in 2005.
Still infatuated with film, Zhao attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, graduating in 2010. As part of her final graduate project, she wrote a short film called "Daughters." The film centered on a girl attempting to escape an arranged marriage in rural China.
Five years later, Zhao released another film, titled "Songs My Brother Taught Me." She developed the script after spending time on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Learning from the people who lived on the reservation, Zhao's film was about a boy graduating from high school with a major life decision to make.
Approached more as a documentary, the film used the actual high school graduate, Johnny, Zhao met on the reservation. Zhao followed his decision to move to Los Angeles with his partner or stay on the reservation to provide for his family, allowing for a flexible script and including non-professional actors.
Zhao's first feature film was noticed in 2015 at film festivals like the Sundance Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival. It helped strengthen her stance as a female director, and she debuted her next film, 2017's "The Rider."
"The Rider" again used non-professional actors, becoming a staple of Zhao's filmography. The film was inspired after she was introduced to rodeo bronco rider and horse trainer Brady Jandreau on the same reservation she visited for "Songs My Brother Taught Me." Wanting to make Brady the center of the movie, Zhao began filming after he was involved in a rodeo accident that crushed his skull.
The director wrote a loose biographical story about Brady's career, with him agreeing to act in her film. Following his accident, the film shows how Brady struggles with giving up his career goals after he receives medical advice to quit riding horses. "The Rider" won the top prize at the Directors' Fortnight Festival, the independent film section at Cannes.
However, Zhao's breakthrough came in 2020 with the release of "Nomadland." Integrating professional and non-professional actors, she placed her lead protagonist, Fern (Frances McDormand), in a setting of real-life nomads traveling throughout the U.S. Based on the nonfiction book "Nomadland - Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century" by Jessica Bruder, Zhao chose to document Fern's life after losing her husband and her job, forcing her to live a nomadic lifestyle.
"Nomadland" received high praise, winning multiple Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Director in 2021. Zhao's historic win proved her authentic approach to storytelling, highlighting the voices of people from marginalized groups and untold stories found throughout the U.S.
After the success of "Nomadland," Zhao branched in a completely different direction, taking on Marvel's "Eternals" following her Oscar win. She co-wrote the film with Ryan and Kaz Firpo and Patrick Burleigh, as well as directed. While the film received mixed reviews, it again displayed how multi-faceted Zhao is.
If you are a film nerd or seek refreshing, thought-provoking films, Chloé Zhao is an influential voice to watch on screen through the stories and characters she brings to life.
