Chloe Zhao

“Sometimes a first feels like a long time coming. You feel like it’s about time.” That’s Chloe Zhao talking about the many talented female directors—and particularly women of color—who came before her, who she admires. I’m pretty sure I don’t have to “introduce” you to Chloe. She’s probably one of the buzziest directors in Hollywood right now and is making history at every turn. With 34 wins (so far) she’s already become the most awarded person in a single modern awards season, according to Variety. She’s also the first woman of color to be nominated for a Best Director Oscar—and if she wins, she’ll be the second woman to ever win the prestigious award. She’s also the first woman of Asian heritage to win a Best Director Golden Globe.

One of the most interesting things that drives her work: a desire to get out of the echo chamber. She told Alfonso Cuarón in Interview: “I am terrified that I will end up making films for people who already agree with me, which just keeps enforcing our own ideas. I’d rather have one person who disagrees with my politics watch my film, and then somehow see themselves in it without putting up a shield, than a whole room of people who already agree with me give me a standing ovation.”

—Neha Gandhi, EVP, Digital & Strategy