Chloé Zhao

Chloé Zhao is a writer, director, editor, producer, and two-time Oscar winner. Zhao has made history as the first woman of color to win many of filmdom’s top awards.

Zhao made history as the second woman ever to win the Oscar for Best Director, for her critically acclaimed Nomadland, starring Frances McDormand. The film premiered in 2020 at the Venice Film Festival and was awarded the Golden Lion, and went on to earn the industry’s highest accolades, including Golden Globe , BAFTA, DGA, PGA Awards, and 3 Oscars® , including Best Director, Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Best Picture.

Zhao directed her first feature, Songs My Brothers Taught Me, in 2015. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for Best First Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards. In 2017, Zhao directed The Rider, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the Directors’ Fortnight selection and won the Art Cinema Award. The film also earned her nominations for Best Feature and won Best Picture at the Gotham Awards.

She directed and co-wrote the recently released Marvel Studios’ Eternals, which follows the events of the 2019 Avengers: Endgame and features a race of immortal beings that fight an ancient enemy and shape the history and civilizations of the world.

Zhao was born in Beijing, attended high school in London, studied political science at Mount Holyoke College, and the enrolled in New York University’s Graduate Film Program.