Nomadland director Chloé Zhao makes history with BAFTA win
Nomadland's Chloé Zhao on Sunday became only the second women — and first woman of color — to win the best director prize at the annual British Academy Film and Television Arts awards.
The first woman to win the award was Kathryn Bigelow in 2010 for The Hurt Locker. Nomadland won three additional awards, including best picture, best actress for Frances McDormand, and best cinematography. Nomadland follows a woman named Fern, played by McDormand, who travels across the United States taking different jobs to survive, meeting interesting characters along the way.
While accepting her award virtually, Zhao — who also won the top prize Saturday at the Directors Guild of America Awards — thanked "the nomadic community who so generously welcomed us into their lives," adding, "How we treat our elders says a lot about who we are as a society, and we need to do better."
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Other winners included Promising Young Women for best British film; The Father's Anthony Hopkins for best actor; Judas and the Black Messiah's Daniel Kaluuya for best supporting actor; and Minari's Yuh-Jung Youn for best supporting actress.
The ceremony opened with a tribute to Prince Philip, who died on Friday. He was the first president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and his grandson Prince William is its current president.
