Chloe Zhao, who’s original name is Zhai Ting, is a Chinese-born filmmaker.

She is primarily known for her independent movies about journeys of self-discovery set in the American West.

She became the first person of color to win the Academy Award for best director for Nomadland (2020).

Zhao was born on March 31, 1982, in Beijing. Zhao’s father, Zhao Yuji, was an executive at a large steel company, Shougang Group. Later he worked in real estate and equity investment. Her mother was a hospital worker. 

Also Read | Director Chloe Zhao pays tribute to ‘many films’ through Eternals

In 1998 her parents sent her to Brighton College, England, where she attended the boarding school from 1998 to 2000.

She completed high school in Los Angeles. She studied politics and film studies at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts till 2005.

When she discovered her interest in filmmaking, she went to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts (B.A., 2010).

Her graduate movie, Daughters (2010), was a short film about a Chinese girl escaping an arranged marriage. It premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and won Best Student Live Action Short at the 2010 Palm Springs International ShortFest and Special Jury Prize at the 2010 Cinequest Film Festival.

Also Read | Chloe Zhao’s Eternals will be one of the longest movies of the MCU

Zhao lives in California with her partner Joshua James Richards. He is a cinematographer.

Zhao directed her first feature film Songs My Brothers Taught Me in 2015. It was filmed on location at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The film is about the relationship between a Lakota Sioux brother and his younger sister. The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival. The film was nominated for Best First Feature at the 31st Independent Spirit Awards.

Also Read | China censors Oscars success of history-making Chloe Zhao

 She directed ‘The Rider’ in 2017. The Rider is a contemporary western drama which about a young cowboy’s journey to discover himself after a near-fatal accident ends his professional riding career. The film premiered at Cannes Film Festival as part of the Directors’ Fortnight selection and won the Art Cinema Award. The film got nominations for Best Feature and Best Director at the 33rd Independent Spirit Awards. The film was released on April 13, 2018, by Sony Pictures Classics and was critically acclaimed.

Also Read | Chloe Zhao, the first woman of colour to win best director at Oscars

 In 2018, Zhao directed her third feature film, Nomadland. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was released on February 19, 2021, by Searchlight Pictures. 

Also Read | Unique Oscars to reunite stars as ‘Nomadland’ seeks big prize

On February 15, 2021, Variety reported that with “34 awards season trophies for directing, 13 for screenplay and nine for editing, Chloe Zhao has surpassed Alexander Payne (Sideways) as the most awarded person in a single awards season in the modern era.”