Chloe Zhao has made Oscar history by becoming the first woman of color to ever to win Best Director. The 39-year-old Zhao, who hails from Beijing, took home the award for her stunning film Nomadland, which follows a woman (played by Frances McDormand) as she embarks on a new life as a van-dwelling nomad, traveling the American West.
Zhao’s Oscar nomination alone was historic, as she was the first woman of color ever up for Best Director. In winning the award, she enters the history books alongside Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) as the only two women to win in the category.
Zhao was a heavy favorite entering the night, as she had previously won Best Director at the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs, and the Directors Guild of America Awards.
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Her accomplishment is not without controversy, however, as Nomadland has been largely censored in China due to past comments she made about the country’s government. In a recently surfaced 2013 interview, Zhao described China as “a place where there are lies everywhere,” adding, “You felt like you were never going to be able to get out. A lot of info I received when I was younger was not true, and I became very rebellious toward my family and my background.”
As a result, mentions of Nomadland have been scrubbed from Chinese social media platforms and theatrical screenings of the film are prohibited in the country.
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