Chloé Zhao, best known for her award-winning film "Nomadland," has become the first Chinese and Asian female ever to win the Best Director at the Golden Globe Awards - first in the 78-year history of the award (Gonzalez).
At the Golden Globe Awards Ceremony, Zhao expressed her gratitude for the production team, "This award belongs to the whole 'Nomadland' team."
In the film, Fern, the lead character, embarks on a journey through the American west, living an itinerant life and working along her journey, while meeting similar fellow travelers on the road. The story of Stern exemplifies the message it intends to deliver through its title: Nomadland. Growing up in Beijing, the U.K., and Los Angeles, Zhao's life is much like that of Fern’s in "Nomadland," as she is able to experience life on the go whilst immersing herself into various cultures around the globe, thus being able to view them introspectively through a multicultural lens. In a recent interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer, Zhao stated, "I'm always curious about how people would like to be remembered. It's not about what I think. It's not about my own point of view." Further, she expressed that people living in a country as wealthy as America should not have to see nomad life as their only option (Weaver).
Chloé Zhao has always been fascinated by life beyond cities. She has "long been drawn to Middle America," which is where she was inspired to create this film about an independent woman whose life was on the go (Ryan). "I was feeling a little restless... partially because it was too noisy around me," Zhao says. "I needed a reset and that's why I first traveled to South Dakota" (Ryan). At the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, she became fascinated about the techniques of storytelling in Native American indigenous groups that "didn't focus on struggle," which she also employed when shooting her films. Zhao's semi-improvised shooting style yielded 100 hours of footage to reflect the itinerant lifestyle she and Fern had in common, which was then shortened.
"Nomadland'' has been met with acclaim across the globe. The Times' co-chief film critic A.O. Scott commented, “‘Nomadland’ is patient, compassionate and open, motivated by an impulse to wander and observe rather than to judge or explain.” (Scott) Brian Tallerico, the editor of RogerEbert.com, found the film "gorgeous" in the way that it was "alternately dreamlike in the way it captures the beauty of this country and grounded in its story about the kind of person we don't usually see in movies" (Tallerico).
However, the film was hit with backlash in China after initial celebration from Chinese media due to Zhao's criticism of China in an interview in 2013. Initially, Zhao's film was set to be released during April in theaters on the day she won the Golden Globe Awards, where certain Chinese state media outlets described her as the "Pride of China." However, Chinese netizens found an interview where Zhao described China as "a place where there are lies everywhere," resulting in hashtags and film posters of "Nomadland" being removed from major social media platforms in China, signs indicative of the possible outcome that "Nomadland" would not appear in theaters in China due to political censorship.
Upon her accomplishment at the Golden Globe Awards, Zhao became the first Chinese woman nominated for Best Director at the Oscars in 2021. Further, in addition to shooting individual films such as "Nomadland" and "The Rider," Zhao is currently also participating in the production of Marvel’s commercial film, "The Eternals," as the director.
Works Cited
Chen, Xi. "The Pride of China! Chinese Netizens Congratulate Chloe Zhao, the First Chinese
Director on Winning Golden Globe Awards." Global Times, 1 Mar. 2021, www.globaltimes.cn/page/202103/1216918.shtml.
"Chloé Zhao." Filmmaker Magazine, 2013,
web.archive.org/web/20201030224312if_/https://filmmakermagazine.com/people/chloe-zhao/#.X5yXErBxdnI. Accessed 30 Mar. 2021.
Gonzalez, Sandra. "Chloé Zhao Makes History at Golden Globes." CNN, 1 Mar. 2021,
edition.cnn.com/2021/02/28/entertainment/chlo-zhao-nomadland/index.html.
Ryan, Patrick. "Meet 'Nomadland' Director Chloé Zhao, Who Just Made Oscar History (and Was
Spike Lee's Student)." USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2021, www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2021/03/16/nomadland-chloe-zhao-oscars-marvel-eternals/6953255002/.
Scott, A.O. "‘Nomadland’ Review: The Unsettled Americans." The New York Times - Breaking
News, US News, World News and Videos, 25 Mar. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/02/18/movies/nomadland-review.html.
Tallerico, Brian. "Nomadland Movie Review & Film Summary (2021)." Movie Reviews and Ratings
by Film Critic Roger Ebert | Roger Ebert, 19 Feb. 2021, www.rogerebert.com/reviews/nomadland-movie-review-2020.
Weaver, Hilary. "Everything You Need to Know About Chloé Zhao, the Director of ‘Nomadland’."
ELLE, 28 Feb. 2021, www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a35649454/who-is-chloe-zhao-nomadland-director/.