Zhao wins Golden Globes for best film drama, director
Chinese director Chloe Zhao notched up a historic win on Sunday night by becoming the first Asian woman to take home the Golden Globes’ Best Director — Motion Picture award, stirring up a frenzy among Chinese netizens.
She is the second filmmaker of Chinese descent, after Ang Lee, to get the prestigious director’s prize at the 78-year-old event in Los Angeles, which is widely seen as an indicator of Oscar chances.
Nomadland, Zhao’s third directorial outing, also won Best Motion Picture — Drama award at the 2021 annual Golden Globe Awards.
Adapted from US journalist Jessica Bruder’s 2017 nonfiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, the road film stars actress Frances McDormand as a 62-year-old woman who travels in the vast lands of the
American West in order to explore life as a modern-day nomad.
With a glittering resume, Zhao — who was born in 1982 and went to study overseas in 1998 — has already gained attention with her directorial debut Songs My Brothers Taught Me in 2015 and the awardwinning The Rider in 2017.
Nomadland has been a favorite at major festivals since its debut last autumn. It won the Golden Lion Award for the best film at the 2020 Venice International Film Festival.
So far, the film has received more than 90 awards, making it a major contender in the upcoming Oscars.
Walt Disney’s 20th Century Studios has announced that Nomadland will be released on the Chinese mainland on April 23 via the country’s Nationwide Alliance of Arthouse Cinemas, an art film chain of 2,777 cinemas.
In a video statement released by Disney, Zhao said she was glad to hear that the film will be released in China.
“This movie has brought together the enthusiasm and hard work of many people, even their own life stories. I hope that through their stories, you (the Chinese audience) will find your own life and become the author of your own life story,” said Zhao.
Song Dandan, a famous actress and the stepmother of Zhao, sent her greetings on social media, saying that every award won by Zhao has surpassed her family’s expectations and brought them great joy.
“As a Chinese girl who didn’t speak English before she went to study abroad at 16, Zhao chose a path that we were once not optimistic about,” said Song, adding that her stepdaughter has now achieved great recognition in Hollywood’s major “battlefield”.
Describing Zhao as a “legend” in her family, Song added that she wished Zhao’s success would encourage more Chinese youngsters to pursue their dreams.
Hashtags about Zhao’s win have generated about 300 million views on Sina Weibo, with Nomadland obtaining 8.4 points out of 10 on Douban, a popular movie review aggregator in China.
Most Chinese netizens said they were proud about Zhao’s win and hope she will ride the momentum to win more awards at the 93rd Academy Awards, scheduled for April 25.
Li Chao, a film critic based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, said Zhao is the first director from the Chinese mainland to receive such a high honor, making her win even more significant for local filmmakers.
Even without the notable elements for the Chinese audience such as Zhao being Song’s stepdaughter and the film starring Oscar-winning McDormand, Nomadland is an excellent work due to its restrained and calm narrative which engages the audience, Li added.
As a Chinese girl who didn’t speak English before she went to study abroad at 16, Zhao chose a path that we were once not optimistic about.”
Song Dandan, actress, stepmother of Chloe Zhao