Chloe Zhao made history at the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday.
The Beijing, China native became the first woman of color to win the Best Director award for her drama film Nomadland, which she also wrote, edited and produced.
She would also go on to accept the Best Picture Oscar, alongside some of the cast, crew and producers.
Her trailblazing evening also included becoming the first woman to get four Oscar nominations in a single year, that also included the Best Film Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay categories.
History! Chloe Zhao, 39, became the first woman of color, and second woman overall, to win the Best Director Oscar at the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday
Zhao, whose first feature film was 2015’s Songs My Brothers Taught Me, is also now just the second woman to ever win the Oscar for directing; Kathryn Bigelow was the first for The Hurt Locker (2009).
She beat out a field that included Thomas Vinterberg for Another Round, David Fincher for Mank, Lee Isaac Chung for Minari, and Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman.
Nomadland, starring Frances McDormand, focuses on the lives of older Americans who live and travel in their vehicles, mainly due to economic reasons, as modern-day nomads.
Like her debut feature film, the Nomadland cast had a number of real-life nomads.
Making her mark: Her trailblazing evening also included becoming the first woman to get four Oscar nominations in a single year with the Best Director, Best Picture, Best Film Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay categories.
Emotional: In accepting the Oscar for Best Director, Zhao choose to focus on the goodness of people, by telling a story of a childhood memory she had with her father growing up in China
After thanking the Academy and her fellow nominees, Zhoa directed her thoughts to the enormous task of finishing Nomadland.
‘What a crazy, one in a life journey, we went on together,’ she said of the experience.
She also revealed how she’s been ‘thinking a lot late about how I keep going when things get hard. And I think it goes back to something I learned when I was a kid.’
Giving thanks to her father, Zhao proceeded to tell a story of when she was growing up in China she and her dad would play a game where they would memorize classic Chinese poems and texts and recite them together.
One particular phrase, which translates to ‘people at birth were inherently good’, has stuck on her mind throughout the years.
Dedication: ‘So this is for anyone who has the faith and the courage to hold on to the goodness in themselves,’ Zhao said as grabbed ahold of her Oscar trophy
Stylin’: The Beijing, China-born filmmaker wore a long dress and raven tresses braided down on both sides while on the red carpet at Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles
‘And those six letters had such a great impact on me when I was a kid. And I still truly believe them today,’ the 39-year-old explained.
‘Even though sometimes it may seem like the opposite is true. But I have always found goodness in the people I met everywhere I met in the world.’
Humbled by the accolade, and her history-making night at the Oscars, Zhao concluded by sharing a heartfelt message to her fellow humans all over the globe.
‘So this is for anyone who has the faith and the courage to hold on to the goodness in themselves,’ she said as grabbed ahold of her Oscar trophy.
‘And to hold on to the goodness in each other. No matter how difficult it is to do that. And this is for you, you inspire me to keep going. Thank you.’
In a nod of respect, the director hit the red carpet before the ceremony with real-life nomad Charlene Swankie, who appeared in the Oscar-nominated motion picture.
Nod of respect: The director hit the red carpet before the ceremony with real-life nomad Charlene Swankie, who appeared in the Oscar-nominated motion picture