
Age: 44
female
Chloé Zhao (born Zhao Ting, in Chinese: 赵婷; 31 March 1982) is a Chinese-born filmmaker. She is known primarily for her work on independent films. For her film Nomadland (2020), Zhao is the second of three women to win the Academy Award for Best Director. Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015), her debut feature film, premiered at Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim and earned a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature. The Rider (2017) was critically acclaimed and received nominations for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Film and Best Director. Zhao garnered international recognition with the American film Nomadland (2020), which she wrote, produced, edited and directed, and which won numerous accolades, including the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Earning four Academy Award nominations for the film, Zhao won Best Picture and Best Director, becoming the first woman of color to win the latter. She also won awards for directing at the Directors Guild of America Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and British Academy Film Awards, becoming the second female winner of each of them. Zhao co-wrote and directed the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Eternals (2021). Her latest film, Hamnet, premiered at the 52nd Telluride Film Festival to critical acclaim. Description above from the Wikipedia article Chloé Zhao, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Chloé Zhao

Writer
for Writer in Yodels and Rails: The Jimmie Rodgers Story
Suggested by kamsismith

Journey back to the roaring 1920s, where the clatter of train tracks echoes with the soulful yodels of a man destined to become a legend. "Yodels and Rails" tells the riveting and heartfelt story of Jimmie Rodgers, the "Father of Country Music," whose songs carved the path for an entire genre and whose life embodied the triumphs and tragedies of the American dream. Born in Meridian, Mississippi, Rodgers grew up with the hardscrabble life of the working class, finding solace in music and the steady rhythm of the railroad. As a brakeman battling tuberculosis, Jimmie’s voice became his salvation—a beacon of hope for millions during the Great Depression. From his groundbreaking Bristol recording sessions to his meteoric rise as "The Singing Brakeman," the film captures the grit, innovation, and soul that made Jimmie a cultural icon. At its core, "Yodels and Rails" is more than a musical biopic. It’s the story of a man who defied illness and societal barriers to create art that transcended time, blending folk, blues, and country into something uniquely his own. His signature blue yodel became a rallying cry for dreamers and outcasts, inspiring future legends like Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, and Dolly Parton.


