‘Nomadland’s Chloé Zhao Makes History As First Woman Of Color To Receive Oscar Nomination For Best Director

Nomadland filmmaker Chloé Zhao has made history once again as the first woman of color to be nominated for Best Director at the Oscars. Alongside Promising Young Woman director Emerald Fennell, this morning’s nominations mark the first time two women have been nominated for Best Director in the history of the Academy Awards — and this is the 93rd edition of the ceremony.

Zhao made history earlier this year as the first woman of Asian descent and second woman to ever win the Best Director award at the 78th Golden Globes — which also marked the first time three female directors were nominated in the category.

In addition to Best Director, Zhao nabbed nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing. Nomadland earned a nomination for Frances McDormand for Best Actress in a Leading Role as well as a nomination for Joshua James Richards for Best Cinematography.

Zhao made Golden Globes history this year when she bacame the first woman of Asian descent and second woman ever to win the best director award in the Globes’ 78-year history. This year had marked the first time ever that three female directors earned nominations for best director.

Nomadland has been a buzzy awards contender since premiering at simultaneously at the Toronto Film Festival (where it won the People’s Choice Award) and the Venice Film Festival (where it won the Golden Lion). Once again, it made history as the first film to get the top prize at both festivals. It also earned accolades from the National Society of Film Critics, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and the New York Film Critics Circle.