Chloe Zhao Is the First Woman of Colour and Second Woman Ever to Win the Best Director Oscar – Concrete Playground

When an awards body has spent almost a century handing out high-profile gongs in a field that garners plenty of attention, it really should be past the point of smashing records and making history. But the Academy Awards hasn’t been particularly inclusive or diverse over its 93-year run to-date — which is why 2021’s big winner is still breaking boundaries.

When Chloe Zhao was nominated for this year’s Best Director Oscar for Nomadland, she already achieved an immense feat. Only five female filmmakers had ever even made it to the awards ceremony in the coveted field before 2021, and she joined Promising Young Woman‘s Emerald Fennell among this year’s candidates. This marked the first time ever that two women had received recognition…