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Golden Globes 2021: Nomadland's Chloe Zhao is first Asian woman to win Best Director, fans say 'she did that!'

Zhao is also the second woman to win this honor after the legendary Barbra Streisand in 1984

The 78th edition of the Golden Globe Awards were hosted in a unique manner on Sunday, February 28, 2021. Keeping in mind the Covid-19 pandemic, the awards were held entirely virtually and the nominees joined in from the comfort of their homes. Comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted the ceremony from two different locations, marking the first bicoastal event in the show's history. Fey hosted the ceremony from New York City's Rainbow Room while Poehler was present at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.

The 'Best Director - Motion Picture' was one of the most important awards at the show, which was taken home by Chloe Zhao for her brilliant film 'Nomadland'. Let us find out more about the winner and see what Twitter has got to say about it.

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Chloe Zhao is the winner

The award for Best Director - Motion Picture went to Zhao  for her drama 'Nomadland' starring Frances McDormand in the lead. The other nominations for the category included Aaron Sorkin for 'The Trial of the Chicago 7', Regina King for 'One Night in Miami', David Fincher for 'Mank' and Emerald Fennell aka Camilla Parker-Bowles from 'The Crown' for her directorial venture 'Promising Young Woman'. This year witnessed a rare moment in history as the names of three women were announced in the nomination list of 'Best Director - Motion Picture'.

In the end, it was Zhao who earned the prestigious honor. This is the second nomination and first Golden Globe win for Zhao, both for her movie 'Nomadland'. Zhao became the second woman in the history of 78 years of the Golden Globes, succeeding the 1984 win of the legendary Barbra Streisand. Zhao also became the first Chinese woman and first-ever woman of color to win this award. Her acceptance speech was thoughtful and poignant, where she expressed her gratitude towards the nomads for sharing their stories. 
 
“Compassion is the break down of all the barriers between us — a heart to heart bonding. Your pain is my pain; it’s mingled and shared between us," Zhao quoted Bob Wells, adding “This is why I fell in love with making movies and telling stories.”

Twitter called her 'an incredible director' who 'truly deserves it'

Zhao's surprise win was lauded by fans across the world, especially celebrating the fact that she was the first-ever Chinese woman to win this honor. "I’m so happy nomadland won best picture Smiling face with 3 heartsSmiling face with 3 heartsSmiling face with 3 hearts chloe zhao is an incredible director and truly deserves it," wrote a user.

"Chloé Zhao made a beautiful movie, and her acceptance speechless were so warm and kind and in touch with the world right now. More of this in film," stated another user. One user remarked: "Nomadland is so special. I am in a place where I really need to hold on to the belief that there is no final goodbye, only ‘see you down the road’, so it has been the greatest comfort to me. As meaningless as award shows are, I am so, so happy to see Chloe Zhao be recognised." Another emphasized: "And first asian female director. She did that!".

Zhao's upcoming directorial venture is the much-anticipated Marvel movie 'The Eternals'.

The official 2021 Golden Globe Awards was telecast on February 28 at 8 pm ET and the pre-show was streamed live from the official @GoldenGlobes Twitter account and on the website goldenglobes.com at 6.30 pm ET.

Note: An earlier version of this article mischaracterized Chloe Zhao as Asian-American. She is Chinese.