Chloe Zhao Is The First Female Filmmaker To Win People's Choice Award At TIFF Since 2011

After winning the Golden Lion trophy at the 2020 Venice Film Festival, Chloe Zhao has also managed to make a strong impression at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Her movie won the People’s Choice Award at the prestigious festival and she become the first female filmmaker to earn the accolade since 2011.

Zhao’s upcoming film “Nomadland” was named the top audience prize winner at the TIFF, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. In the process, Zhao has also become the sixth female director to claim the trophy at the festival. The last time a woman won the prestigious award at the movie festival was in 2011 when Nadine Labaki from Lebanon got her hands on the trophy for her movie “Where Do We Go Now?”

Apart from Zhao and Labaki, Claudia Weill, Antonia Bird, Marleen Gorris, and Niki Caro have also won the accolade.

Weill was the first-ever winner of the People’s Choice award in the history of the festival. She won the prize for her 1978 hit movie, entitled “Girlfriends.” Bird was the second woman to clinch the trophy and it happened in the year 1994 for “Priest.”

Similarly, Gorris triumphed in 1995 with her film “Antonia” while Caro became the fourth woman to win the award for “Whale Rider” in 2002.

Interestingly, only 7 movies that have won the trophy in Toronto have gone on to win the Best Picture accolade at the Academy Awards.

Recently, she became the fifth female filmmaker to receive the Golden Lion trophy in the festival’s history, Vulture reported.

Zhao’s third feature film stars two-time Oscar-winning actress Frances McDormand in the lead role. The film is based on the story of a woman named Fern (played by McDormand) who has lost everything during the Great Recession. Fern embarks on a journey and starts living as a modern-day nomad.

The movie is scheduled to hit the theaters on Dec. 4.

Zhao will also be trying her hands in making a superhero flick. The filmmaker will be donning the director’s hat for Marvel’s “The Eternals.” The movie stars Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kit Harrington, Kumail Nanjiani, and Gemma Chan in pivotal roles.